Pure
by Dracossack
Summary: "You are drawn to her because she is everything you are not. She lives in the light, and you, in the dark. She is kind, while you are abrasive. She is open, you are guarded. She is honest, you are a liar. She is pure, and you..." Bechloe AU.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: When I first posted this story I had every intention of not writing many Author's notes. As you'll see if you continue reading, that failed rather miserably. I'm writing this one after having just finished the fifth chapter. Anyway, I felt I should perhaps explain for any new readers that this is an alternate universe story based somewhat on an idea I had used for a one-shot I wrote a while I ago. I'm also drawing on a lot of anime and video games for inspiration, so expect this to be fairly, well, nerdy. That being said, I do hope that all fans of the Pitch Perfect universe can enjoy this story too. I certainly tried to keep that in mind as I wrote. So, thank you so much if you decide to read this story, and I hope that you don't regret it! _

* * *

**Pure:**

"_With your gentle, passionate, and dastardly kiss,  
__paint this final night."_

Chapter 1: Her DJ, Illusive

The soft notes of a bird's song drifted gently over the open field, the grass, covered in a light dew, glinted in the light of the early morning. A few students of Barden University who were lucky enough to have a free schedule at this hour, and who were prudent enough to wake up early enough to prevent a frenzied quest for breakfast before class, strolled casually through the campus. Well, all but one student in particular. Chloe Beale, a tall, slim girl with pale blue eyes and striking red hair, was a flurry of frantic movement as she sprinted rather ungracefully, due to the cumbersome nature of her overflowing backpack, towards the class she was currently missing.

"Oh, shit!" She hissed to herself, nearly out of breath as she looked at her watch. It read 8:05. Five minutes late was not usually a big deal to most students. However, most students weren't taking Dr. Mitchell's class on comparative literature. The man was absolutely insufferable when it came to simple misdemeanors like arriving late, often berating the offending student before continuing with the lecture. In addition to this, texting during class was to him, it appeared, the worst crime a student could commit in his class. It all seemed rather like high school punishments to the redhead: rather juvenile and unnecessary. Still, she was not a fan of suffering his ire, thus, she moved as fast as she could to mitigate the damage of her tardiness. She redoubled her efforts to increase the speed at which she ran, which proved rather unfortunate, for as she rounded the corner of the library on her way to the English building, she collided with what felt like a brick wall, knocking the wind out of her as she fell back onto the concrete. She let out a wince as she landed. A bit disoriented from the fall, she slowly lifted her head to find a short girl looking down at her with a curious expression on her face. The girl wore a simple maroon tank top with a gray, sleeveless coat and a pair of dark jeans. Her brown hair was partially pulled back, but some was still allowed to fall neatly around her face. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry!"

The small girl smiled as she looked down at Chloe and extended her hand. The redhead gladly accepted the girl's silent offer to help her to her feet and took hold of her hand. The girl grinned mischievously and Chloe found herself suddenly yanked upwards rather forcefully, causing her to yelp in surprise. Strangely, despite her unexpected ascent, she alighted gently onto the ground and now stood facing the girl. The redhead blinked twice, confused at how the small girl had managed to pull her to her feet so easily. This confusion, however, only lasted as long as it took for Chloe to realize she was still, in fact, late for Dr. Mitchell's class. Her eyes widened in shock as she again looked at her watch to reveal that her tardiness was rapidly approaching the ten minute mark, and she quickly thanked the girl for helping her up and issued yet another apology before taking off in the direction the girl had been walking from. The brunette turned to look back at the taller girl as she ran, shaking her head with a small grin on her face before turning around and continuing on her original path.

Somehow, against all odds, Chloe managed to escape Dr. Mitchell's notice as she entered the class. She crept silently along the back wall of the classroom towards the nearest empty seat. It was rather intriguing to the ginger, as Dr. Mitchell, insufferable as he may be, was nothing if not a very intelligent man, and he was always exceptionally observant and attentive to what was happening in his classroom. Today though, he seemed distracted, occasionally stumbling over his words or losing his train of thought. It was subtle, but noticeable, especially so for Chloe since she was already confused by the lack of berating she received at her late arrival. Eventually, she pushed these thoughts aside and attempted to concentrate on his lecture. This, however, proved difficult, as her thoughts drifted to the brief encounter with the short brunette during her rush to class. It was rather odd when she really thought about it. She had been running full speed when she hit the girl, and yet, somehow she had not ended up on the ground like Chloe had. In fact, she didn't even seem to have lost her balance at all. And not only that, the little brunette had effortlessly lifted Chloe to her feet without her even attempting to push herself off of the ground. She began to regret not introducing herself to the girl, especially since it would seem that an extra minute or two would not have put her in a worse position regarding her late entry, and there was something strange about the girl that Chloe couldn't quite put her finger on.

Still though, she wasn't exactly acing the class she now sat in, and she couldn't afford to focus on the mysterious brunette when she needed to pay attention to the lecture. Literature was never Chloe's strong suit, as she was a Pre-Med student and was only taking this class because she needed another English elective, and she had heard that Dr. Mitchell's classes were never too intense. Aubrey, her best friend, had never mentioned just how boring they could be though. Chloe figured it was just because Aubrey was infinitely more academically motivated than her, and thus, no class was boring in her eyes.

'_Last time I take her advice when I need to add a class to my schedule_,' the redhead thought to herself, though in reality, she would only have one more semester in which to apply that idea. She would be going to medical school after she graduated Barden in the spring, so Aubrey, who was going to law school, would have no insight on the courses or teachers Chloe may encounter there. She sighed as she tried to focus on Dr. Mitchell's words.

"...and demons are typically thought of as malevolent or evil beings in many different cultures and religions, which is apparent in their depictions throughout a great deal of literature. However, the term 'demon,' in its original connotation going back to the days of Homer, described a more benign supernatural being..." The professor explained. The subject of today's lecture, Chloe had gathered, was on common archetypes and depictions of antagonists and villains, and how writers used these archetypes or deviated from them to present their visions.

'_Fascinating_,' Chloe thought sarcastically. As much as she tried to be interested in the subject, the senior girl found it next to impossible. She was never one to focus on the negative aspect of anything, and so all of this talk of demons and villains and evil just didn't really work for her. If Chloe had her way, everything would be all rainbows and sunshine and butterflies. Not that she couldn't handle anything that didn't have a happy ending, she just infinitely preferred them. It didn't help that this subject really had no bearing at all on her major, it was just a requirement for her to graduate. When the class was finally dismissed, Chloe realized she had failed to really take in any of the information of the lecture, and silently cursed herself, hoping that it wouldn't come back to haunt her on a test. She quickly gathered up her things and made her way out of the building. At this point, she had roughly an hour of free time before her next class, which she usually spent either reading or listening to music on the grass in the quad, weather permitting. She wondered if, perhaps, she might encounter the strange little brunette again. Chloe resolved to find out the girl's name should they meet again. Lost in her thoughts as she walked, the ginger failed to notice the very girl that so readily occupied her thoughts passing by her, back towards the building that Chloe had just vacated.

As she went about her day, Chloe found the brunette moving quickly to the back of her mind as she became engrossed in the more relevant classes of her schedule. It was all rather stressful, really, especially considering the rough start to her morning. The difficulty of her classes had definitely ramped up since the previous semesters, though it was to be expected. She rolled her head to stretch her neck as she stepped out of the Biology building into the autumn sun, which was now directly overhead, the heat quickly beginning to beat down on the ginger. She sighed as she walked towards a nearby tree, seeking a short respite from the heat as she made her way back to her apartment. As she moved, she noticed a the girl that she had so clumsily collided with earlier in the morning and her interest in her quickly resurfaced. The girl carried herself with a confident, deliberate gait, and yet it was refined and smooth, as though she were walking on air. Her path appeared to run perpendicular to that of Chloe, and the ginger began to walk towards her as she disappeared behind the large tree that had been Chloe's original destination. Noticing this, the redhead increased her pace so as to hopefully catch up to her and perhaps introduce herself. However, when she arrived at the tree, expecting the brunette to be sitting or standing against it as she had not appeared to have walked away, Chloe found the girl inexplicably absent. She looked around in bewilderment, positive that she had seen her stop on the other side of the tree. She circled it in an admittedly comical fashion, at a loss as to where she could have gone. With a sigh of defeat, and feeling the need to escape the afternoon heat, Chloe continued on the path back to her apartment, rather disappointed that she lost the brunette, who, unbeknownst to Chloe, was sitting on a branch of the tree she had just left, her legs swinging idly in the air as she giggled at the redhead's actions. The brunette placed a large pair of head phones over her ears as she swung her legs back up on to the branch and leaned against the trunk of the tree before letting out a sigh of contentment. She closed her eyes as music began to drift from the head phones into her ears.

"I'm home!" Chloe called out into the apartment as she closed the door. She strolled into the central room of the small, two bedroom living space that she and Aubrey occupied. She collapsed face down onto the couch, as was her standard procedure upon returning home from class, and lay motionless as a tall, blonde girl entered the room before sitting down in the recliner that sat next to the couch.

"Rough day?" Aubrey asked the redhead, whose response was muffled by the fabric of the couch. "Sorry, I didn't quite catch that." The blonde grinned as she spoke, amused at Chloe's behavior. This was not to say that she wasn't unaccustomed to it; she, like everyone else who came into contact with the ginger, simply could not help but think that everything she did was adorable.

"Every day is a rough day," Chloe whined, causing Aubrey to chuckle.

"It's not going to get easier any time soon," she chided gently. "Especially once you actually make it to medical school."

"Ugh, don't remind me," Chloe replied. "Why do we have to go to class? Why can't I just skip straight to the 'being a doctor' part?"

"Quite possibly because no one wants to be misdiagnosed or killed by an incompetent and uneducated medical professional," Aubrey stated in her standard, logical and over analytical manner. That, really, was the very essence of the blonde girl. Logic was her domain. It pervaded nearly every aspect of the girl's life, even down to her musical preferences. She was, like Chloe, an extraordinarily talented singer, though where the redhead sang with a wild, passionate abandon, Aubrey's voice was more controlled and formulaic. She also was a gifted pianist, and she could play nearly any piece given to her. However, for all of her experience, she lacked any compositional ability. She needed structure, and that structure often restricted any attempt at creativity from the blonde. Chloe, on the other hand, was stifled by structure. She longed for freedom and passion, and she had very little sense of boundaries. It was, when they stopped to think about it, rather odd that the two girls, who were so very different, had become such best friends so quickly. Since the day they met during their freshman year, the girls had become nearly inseparable.

"Stop making so much sense, Bree," Chloe responded teasingly. "Seriously though, today has been a bit strange."

"How so?"

"Well, you know I was late getting up this morning, right?" Chloe asked as she sat up. Aubrey scoffed at the question, wondering how she could possibly not know, considering the excessive noise the ginger had made as she stumbled through the apartment, throwing on clothes as she headed for the door. "So, I was practically sprinting to class, because you know Dr. Mitchell is kind of an ass to students when they're late. Which reminds me, I'm never taking your recommendations on teachers ever again."

"What?" Aubrey exclaimed indignantly. "He's a brilliant professor and a very effective educator. It's not like you should ever be late anyway." Chloe rolled her eyes. "Anyway, continue."

"So yea, I was sprinting to class. I probably looked pretty silly, considering how awkward it is to run with a back pack. Anyway, as I was coming around the corner of the library, there was a girl right in my way, and I was going pretty fast, plus I hadn't seen her because of the corner, so I ran straight into her," she explained. Aubrey let out a laugh as she imagined some poor girl being toppled over by a sprinting ginger. She covered her mouth to try and contain it so Chloe could continue her story, but she failed rather miserably.

"Oh, that poor soul," she said with a chuckle, earning a small slap on the leg from Chloe.

"Well, I wouldn't say that," Chloe said, causing Aubrey to raise her eyebrows in interest. "I fell backwards, and she somehow remained completely balanced." The blonde girl eyed Chloe in confusion. "I know, weird. And then she pulled me up from the ground almost effortlessly. I didn't even have to push myself up! I was pretty stunned, and it didn't help that she was really, really pretty. There was something just... mesmerizing about her. Unfortunately, I realized I was still late to class, and I was a bit embarrassed, so I just apologized and ran off."

"That's... pretty weird," Aubrey admitted, though she wasn't sure if she was referring to the short girl's display of physical strength and poise or Chloe's apparent attraction to her.

"And that's not even the craziest part! I saw her walking as I was leaving my last class, heading towards that big tree over by the quad. When I got to the tree though, she was gone! Like, she vanished!" Chloe exclaimed as she finished recounting the story.

"You don't think maybe she could have climbed the tree?" Aubrey said, her logical mind kicking in. Chloe stared at her, blinking her eyes in disbelief as she had not even though of that possibility.

"Ugh, I'm so stupid!" Chloe admonished herself as she buried her face in the couch again.

"Hey, why is this bothering you so much?" Aubrey asked. "I mean, don't feel bad, most people tend not to look up in situations like that. That's why higher places make such good hiding spots."

"Well, I hope she wasn't hiding from me," Chloe pouted. "I really wanted to get her name. There was just something so intriguing about her despite the fact that I know nothing about her." Aubrey smiled at the redhead.

"If you saw her twice in a day, I'm sure you'll see her again. And I can't think of anyone wanting to hide from you," the blonde consoled Chloe. She smiled at her friend, thankful that even if she didn't get to meet the strange brunette, she still had the best friend anyone could ask for.

"Thanks," she replied. "You're the best."

"I know," Aubrey replied with a smirk. "That's why you're going to watch _Les Misérables_ with me tonight." Chloe groaned.

"Do I have to? I'm not really in the mood for a sad movie," Chloe protested, earning another chuckle from Aubrey.

"Oh, come on! I haven't gotten to watch it in ages, and it's my favorite musical," Aubrey said. Chloe gave the blonde the most pitiful pout she could muster, hoping that she could escape the impending misery. Aubrey, however, had three years of experience in dealing with Chloe's pouting, and thus, despite how adorable it may be, she could manage to resist it when she was determined. Still, she figured she should offer some consolation to at least make the redhead a bit more enthusiastic. "We can watch any romantic comedy or superhero movie you want next."

Chloe bit her lip, contemplating Aubrey's proposal. After a moment, she decided it was, in fact, worth it.

"Deal," she said. Aubrey grinned at her triumph, even if it meant she would now be subjected to a silly, cliché movie.

Back in the center of campus, on one of the branches of the largest tree in the quad, the little brunette had removed her head phones and now lounged lazily against the trunk of the tree, happily listening to the sounds of the birds and other passerby. She took in a deep breath as a cool breeze washed over her before releasing another sigh.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: I'm trying to get away from using author's notes for each chapter, but I always feel the need to explain something outside of the story. First, I'd like to go ahead and thank everyone who has read, favorited, followed, and/or reviewed the story. I recognize that this is a short chapter, roughly half the length of the first. I did this because I originally had given myself a 3000-4000 word limit on chapters, but that was becoming increasingly hard to manage between the lack of time I have nowadays and the fact that often I want the chapter to end at a certain point but don't want to force unnecessary details in the middle just to fill the length. So, I'm going to try and simply write each chapter as long as I feel it needs to me, but I guarantee they probably won't be any shorter than this one. That being said, thank you all again, and I hope you enjoy the story._

* * *

**Pure:**

"_Dark is the night that had set to your mind,  
__sweet is the pride that reflects in your eyes."_

Chapter 2: Her DJ, Capable

"What are you doing up so early?" Hearing Aubrey's voice, Chloe looked up from her half-eaten breakfast of scrambled eggs and cereal.

"I'm not exactly planning on being late again," she said to the blonde girl before stuffing a spoonful of cereal into her mouth. "Unlike you, I'm not a fan of running in the morning." Aubrey nodded nonchalantly, conceding the point. Every morning, the tall girl woke to run exactly five miles as part of her exercise regimen. Chloe felt no such inclination, which made it fortunate that she had better eating habits than most college students. On a typical morning, Aubrey would have risen, run, and returned before Chloe had even bothered to vacate her bed. She would then get in the shower, which was usually roughly when Chloe got up. The previous morning, however, Chloe decided to hit snooze on her alarm one too many times, and she didn't wake up until Aubrey was already dry and out of the shower, working on her small morning review of the classes that the day held for her in her room.

"What? Not in the mood to get knocked on your ass by a tiny brunette again?" Aubrey teased. Chloe glared at the blonde as she finished her cereal.

"As much as I'd love to see her, which I doubt I will, I think I'd rather not experience that embarrassment again," she responded with a chuckle. Aubrey wiped a bead of sweat from her face as she began to move towards the bathroom to take her shower.

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad," Aubrey chided as she walked. "At worst, it probably seemed endearing to her."

"You think everything I do is endearing though," Chloe countered quickly. Aubrey paused in the doorway between her room and the main room of the apartment, turning her head to look at the redhead.

"True, but do I think that about anyone else?" Aubrey asked pointedly. Chloe's face contorted slightly as she thought, always seeking to prove her roommate wrong, if for no other reason than the humorous reaction it evoked. This time, like so many others, she failed to find a flaw in the blonde's argument. She sighed again in defeat, raising her hands to indicate her acceptance. "That's what I thought." Chloe smiled at her roommate, not for the first time thankful that she was her best friend.

"Well, I should probably get going," Chloe said as she dumped her dirty dishes into the sink. She picked up her backpack and walked out of the apartment. She walked slowly, taking advantage of the extra time she had from waking up early. As she passed through the center of campus, she came upon the same tree where she had last seen the brunette. Wondering if she might be around, the redhead made her way towards the large tree. The base of the tree was clear, and Chloe, remembering Aubrey's words, looked hopefully up into the wide branches. She was, however, met with sight of nothing more than bark and leaves. She sighed and, giving up, began walking towards her class.

Chloe was humming quietly to herself when she entered the classroom. Paying little attention to her surroundings, she moved over to her usual seat that was closer to the front of the classroom. She set her bag onto the desk before retrieving her notebook from it and taking her seat. It was early, about ten minutes before the class was scheduled to start, and other students were slowly filing into the room. At that point, the redhead finally looked up to be met with quite possibly the last sight she expected to see.

There, at the front of the lecture hall, having what looked to be a rather engaging conversation with Dr. Mitchell, stood Chloe's mystery brunette. Dr. Mitchell was smiling, somewhat uncharacteristically, in Chloe's mind, speaking rather animatedly to the girl. The girl, however, didn't seem to share his enthusiasm. She didn't look upset, but she let out an exasperated sigh more than once. Despite this, her face formed a smirk a few times throughout the conversation. Chloe's eyes were locked on the pair as they spoke, wondering how the two knew each other. Sure, it would be easy enough for her to simply be a student in one of his other classes that needed to talk to him, or perhaps she could be one of his teaching assistants, but, to Chloe, the conversation they had just didn't look like one between a teacher and a student. There was something more personal about it. She craned her neck as she tried to hear what they were saying, in spite of how rude she knew it was to eavesdrop. She was simply too intrigued by the girl to not try.

"So you actually got a job?" Chloe heard Dr. Mitchell asked the girl.

"Don't act so surprised, dude," she responded, her voice somewhere between sarcastic and indignant. "You know how hard I've been working on this."

"Can you really blame me? I've always seen this as more of a hobby of yours, not a profession."

"A fact you have made very clear over the years," the girl said, letting another smirk creep across her face. "I know what I'm doing." Dr. Mitchell sighed and let out a small chuckle.

"You're right. Anyway, my class is about to start. I'll see you later," he said. The girl nodded before turning around to head to the door. As she did, her gaze connected with Chloe, who was instantly transfixed by her piercing gaze. Surprise showed on the brunette's features for barely a moment before she smirked, recognizing the redhead from the previous day. The girl sauntered towards the exit, passing within a few feet of the frozen ginger. She gave Chloe a mischievous wink before turning towards the door and walking out of the room. The redhead sat stunned at the events, her face flushing more red than she would care to admit. As Dr. Mitchell began to speak, she shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts enough to focus on the lecture. However, the recent events had left the little brunette at the forefront of Chloe's mind, and, as such, she feared she would be unable to focus on the class yet again.

Her prediction proved all too true, and she again cursed her own inability to pay attention. Like the previous day, her focus improved as she moved through her more pertinent classes, but a bad grade still hurts, regardless of the relevance of the glass. As the week passed, Chloe managed not to see any more of the tiny brunette girl, which, she thought, should have been a good thing. However, instead of having the desired effect of removing the girl from Chloe's mind, it only made her think more and more about her. By the time Friday had arrived, the ginger had decided that she'd had just about enough of the distraction, and promptly announced that she and Aubrey would be attending a party that evening when she returned home from her classes, thinking it would be a good way to relax and clear her head. Plus, she always enjoyed parties anyway.

"Ugh, this isn't going to be like that time you wandered away from the party and I found you sitting in a cemetery giggling at the jokes all of the 'ghosts' were telling you, is it?" Aubrey asked skeptically. "Because that was pretty terrifying."

"I'm not going to get that drunk," Chloe defended. "Not if the hangover I had has anything to say about it." She grimaced slightly, remembering the horror that was that morning.

"I'd never seen so much vomit in my life," Aubrey said as she recounted her own memory of that tragic day. Chloe's eyes widened indignantly.

"I know you, of all people, did not just go there!" She exclaimed, referencing the blonde's habit of vomiting copiously under stress. Aubrey chuckled at Chloe's retort.

"Fair enough," Aubrey replied. "At least I've never attended a spectral stand-up comedy show."

"Perhaps you should try it sometime," Chloe teased. "The jokes are to die for." Aubrey groaned and covered her face with her palm at Chloe's attempt at humor.

"You're ridiculous," the blonde said.

"You love it," Chloe replied brightly.

While this conversation was taking place, outside of the apartment, on a branch roughly eight feet high on a decently large tree, stood the short brunette girl. Her hands were folded as she leaned against the trunk, and she observed the building intently for reasons that she was, at the moment, still trying to fathom.

"Why don't you just talk to her?" Came a boy's voice through the earphones she wore. The white wires snaked down from her ears into her pocket where they connected with her phone.

"Because there's no reason to," she replied with a sigh into the microphone built into the headphones.

"But you like her. What more reason do you need?" The voice asked.

"I know nothing about her."

"You could if you would just talk to her."

"It's not that simple."

"Yes it is. You're just being stubborn," the boy said. The girl sighed in exasperation.

"If you say so," she responded. She looked at her watch to check the time. "I've got to go get set up for tonight. Are you going to be there?"

"You know I wouldn't miss it."

"Thanks," she replied. A man who had been walking nearby heard her voice and looked up to see who would be having a conversation in a tree. However, he saw only an empty space where the girl had been not a moment before. He looked at the tree in slight bewilderment for a moment before deciding he must have been imagining the voice and then continuing on his way. Smirking slightly at his confusion, the brunette stepped out from behind the tree and began to walk in the opposite direction.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Claims to be trying to get away from author's notes... uses another one in the next chapter. Maybe I should give up on that ambition. Anyway, I suppose there should be a trigger warning here. Nothing bad really happens, but it is a perilous situation. I'm not sure if this is warranted but I figure better safe than sorry. That being said, as always, thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed, and/or favorited this story, and I hope you enjoy it._

_Small update: I was reading another story and noticed that the final part of this chapter was pretty similar to the ending of a chapter in that story, which I swear I didn't do on purpose, but alas, I didn't feel right about just leaving it as it was. I have changed it to hopefully eliminate most of the similarity, and I sincerely apologize that this happened._

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**Pure:**

"_So set me free and this time you'll be electrified.  
__The future leaves nothing behind,  
__it's my afterlife."_

Chapter 3: Her DJ, Defending

"An SBT party? Really, Chloe?" Aubrey asked with a groan as the pair approached the Sigma Beta Theta fraternity house.

"What?" The redhead asked innocently. "It was fun last time."

"Last time I spent the entire party running away from drunken frat guys," Aubrey stated. "Not my idea of fun."

"I thought they were nice enough," Chloe mused.

"That's because you were wasted too."

"I was not! I was just... extremely tipsy," she replied. Aubrey looked at the ginger skeptically. "Okay, so I was pretty drunk." The blonde girl rolled her eyes as they continued walking.

"Just please promise me you won't over do it tonight?" She pleaded with Chloe. It wasn't as if Chloe was an alcoholic, nor was she unable to handle the effects of alcohol. However, on the one or two occasions where she had too much to drink, she became quite a handful. It made her even more overly friendly and more willing to invade the personal space of others, if that were even possible. This wasn't, in and of itself, a bad thing, but it left her quite vulnerable and there were often at least one or two individuals at parties such as this with less than honorable intentions. Up until now, fortunately, the redhead had not reached that level of inebriation at a public party like the one they were about to attend, only going that far in the presence of a few close friends, for she knew, despite always trying to love people and see the best in them, that not everyone was deserving of that attitude. That didn't stop Aubrey from worrying about her though.

"Oh, don't worry about me. I'll be fine," the redhead responded, brushing off her friend's concern. Aubrey looked at her doubtfully, sighing as they reached the large, white building. The night was relatively comfortable, being neither terribly warm nor cool. A subtle breeze rolled through the air, carrying with it the sound of music and revelry emanating from within the house, and, from the roof of the fraternity house, a pair of navy blue eyes observed the pair entering the party. Brunette locks whipped gently in the autumn breeze as their enigmatic owner chuckled to herself.

"What's so funny?" A voice asked from behind her.

"She's here," the girl responded without turning around. "Honestly, I spent the past three days avoiding even being seen by her, and yet she shows up here, of all places.

"You know you roughly half of the things you say make no damn sense at all?"

"I'm surprised you understand even that much," the girl mused.

"Well, that's only because music makes up half of all you ever talk about," he replied. The girl turned to face the boy, observing his dopey grin and smirking in response.

"You know me too well, Jesse," she stated with a smirk. Jesse rolled his eyes, considering that even he felt like he barely understood the little brunette most of the time, despite having known her for years.

"If you say so. But, as I said, most of what you said makes no sense. Why do you keep avoiding her?"

"I told you, it's complicated. Also, fifty percent isn't 'most,'" she replied, referencing Jesse's statistics of comprehension.

"Whatever, weirdo. Anyway, it's time for you to do your thing," he replied.

"I was hoping so. The music selection was beginning to feel a bit... uninspired," she said before walking past Jesse towards the entrance back into the building.

"That's what happens when you leave drunk douchebags in charge," Jesse commented, earning a small laugh from the girl. It was barely a step up from the rueful chuckle she usually gave, and yet it was one of the rare times she genuinely laughed.

"I suppose so," she said as they entered the house.

On the first floor of the house, the living room had been converted into a rather spacious dance floor, with a large PA system and sound board located against the north wall. Upon entering the party, Chloe had quickly obtained a drink and made her way to the dance floor, where amongst a crowd of frat guys and sorority girls of varying levels of inebriation, she attempted to lose herself in the loud, pounding music. She wasn't planning to actually drink that much, preferring, at this point, how the music made her feel as opposed to the alcohol. Just as she began to enjoy herself, however, the music suddenly faded and all of the dancing ceased, confusion evident among the crowd, until a voice came over the speakers.

"Hey guys!" A male voice said enthusiastically. Chloe looked to the sound board to see a boy with messy, dirty blonde hair wearing a navy polo shirt speaking into a microphone. She recognized him as the president of the SBT fraternity, as he had, at one point, taken Aubrey on a few dates. The blonde had quickly decided he wasn't really her type, but they still talked on occasion, despite her general distaste for his fraternity's parties. "For once, we decided to not be cheap asses and just play music out of random iPods for hours, and instead, we actually hired a DJ for the night!" Upon hearing this, the crowd began to cheer, and Chloe looked on with great interest, eager to see what the new development would bring. "So please, give a warm welcome to Beca Mitchell!" The crowd began to applaud as a short, brunette girl appeared as if out of thin air behind the soundboard. No one took notice of her strange entrance, however, due to the alcohol coursing through their veins. No one except Chloe, that is.

She froze at the sight of the brunette, unbelieving that she was not only present at the party where the redhead intended to forget about her but also serving as the DJ for the night. Chloe quickly took in the girl's appearance. She was wearing an unbuttoned, black jacket that only extended about midway down her abdomen over a gray, low cut shirt and dark, navy blue skinny jeans. Her hair fell neatly around her face and down her shoulders, and she pushed a few strands behind her right ear as she smirked to reveal a black spike where one would more typically find an earring.

"Beca Mitchell..." Chloe whispered as the little DJ began typing on a laptop and twisting knobs on the soundboard, causing music to once again blast from the speakers in the room. The ginger stood dumbfounded as the rest of the party-goers began to dance around her. After three people had collided with her stupefied form, Chloe shook her head and quickly finished her drink before turning and walking away from the dance floor to find Aubrey. Chloe knew what she wanted to do, but she didn't know if she should or how she could, and thus, sought the advice of her best friend. However, as she stepped out of the crowd, she heard a male voice calling out to her.

"Chloe? Hey, Chloe!" It said. Chloe grimaced, recognizing the voice of her ex-boyfriend, Tom. She turned and forced a smile as he came bounding up to her with a rather stupid, drunken grin plastered on his face.

"Hey, Tom," she said, trying to hide her frustration at his presence. She had broken up with him a few months prior, mostly due to being tired of the lack of seriousness in the relationship. As much as Chloe hated having to break up with anyone, because it usually made her feel pretty awful, she refused to stay in a relationship that she wasn't fully committed to, regardless of the terms of said relationship. It wasn't unusual for the redhead to engage in superficial relationships over the years, but she had decided as of late that she wanted more than just someone to have fun with, and Tom, like so many others, failed to be anything more. Thus, she had little desire to stay with him. He, unfortunately, hadn't taken the news too well, and he found every opportunity to attempt to win her back. It was becoming rather annoying to Chloe, which was quite a statement, considering Chloe was rarely one to be annoyed with anyone.

"How've you been?" He asked.

"All right, I guess," Chloe replied. She quickly glanced around, looking for an excuse to escape the conversation.

"Cool. Hey, so I was wondering if you'd like to get lunch with me tomorrow?"

"Look, Tom, I really don't think-"

"Oh, come on, Chlo," Tom said quickly, cutting her off. "We had fun, didn't we?" Chloe sighed at his persistence.

"We did, and if you must know, I don't regret it. But that's not all I want in life, Tom, and that's all you were willing to be," she said calmly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go find Aubrey." As the redhead began to walk away, she found her movement halted by Tom's hand grabbing her bicep and pulling her back towards him. She looked at him in shock as he began to speak, his face now mere inches from hers.

"What's your deal?" He demanded. "Why won't you even give me another chance?"

"Let go of me, Tom!" Chloe exclaimed, her heart rate rising rapidly. When his vice-like grip on her arm only tightened, she brought her other hand around to slap him directly across the cheek. He recoiled at the sudden force, and Chloe was able to free herself from his grip, and she quickly walked away to find Aubrey, and, not for the first time, she failed to notice the blue eyes that had been trained on her for the entirety of her conversation with Tom.

Chloe finally found Aubrey standing near the entrance of the house, slowly sipping on a drink as she chatted with a tall, busty brunette that was unfamiliar to the redhead.

"Bree!" She yelled as she reached the blonde, who politely excused herself from the conversation she was having with the sorority girl. "She's totally here!" Chloe squealed with excitement, forgetting all about her unfortunate encounter with Tom.

"Who is?" Aubrey asked in confusion.

"Beca Mitchell..." Chloe said with a dreamy sigh, remembering the brunette's appearance.

"I'm sorry, who?" Aubrey asked, Chloe's answer having done little to illuminate the situation for the blonde.

"The mystery girl!" The ginger exclaimed. "She's the DJ for this party!"

"The DJ? Seriously? That's her?"

"Yea! I really want to go talk to her..." Chloe said wistfully.

"Then what's stopping you?" Aubrey asked. Chloe usually had no problem walking up to random strangers and introducing herself, so why this was such an issue was beyond Aubrey's comprehension.

"I don't know!" Chloe yelped. "Something about her is just so... I don't know, I just don't even know what I'd say to her."

"Just be yourself," Aubrey replied bluntly. Chloe bit her lip in contemplation.

"I don't know..." She said, her voice trailing off as she thought. "I need another drink." As she made this conclusion, she promptly headed for the table of beverages to retrieve said drink, with Aubrey rolling her eyes before following the ginger.

"Chloe..." Aubrey said with concern evident in her voice as the ginger quickly downed a shot of some unidentified alcohol before grabbing a glass of what was likely spiked punch. "Take it easy."

"I'm fine, Aubrey," Chloe stated. "I just need a little bit of help." She walked back towards the dance floor and found a spot against the wall from where she could see the DJ working. She stood, sipping on her drink as she observed the little brunette. It was then that she finally tuned into the music that was being played. It wasn't just a random pop or techno song one would normally expect of a party; it was a mash-up of songs layered together over electronic synths and techno bass lines, and while Chloe could identify the songs in the mash-up, she had never heard this version of them before. She stared in awe at Beca as Aubrey approached her.

"Seriously, Chlo, I don't know what's so different about this girl," the blonde said with an exasperated sigh.

"I just can't explain it, Bree. There's just something about her..." Chloe replied before taking another drink, causing Aubrey to raise her eyebrows as she looked at the redhead.

"If you drink too much, you won't be able to talk to her at all. Maybe you should back off the drinks," she said.

"You're right. I think I need some fresh air," Chloe stated as she finished the drink before turning around and heading through the party, not really sure of her destination.

"Chloe, wait!" Aubrey called after her. She attempted to follow her friend but she quickly lost sight of her among the crowd.

Chloe wandered aimlessly through the house, attempting to find somewhere to escape the crowd temporarily. She ended up on the second floor and, finding an empty hallway, smiled. She began to walk down the hallway, hoping to find a window she could open to get the fresh air she had told Aubrey she needed. Unfortunately, her progress was again impeded, as she found herself whipped around and forced against one of the doors in the hallway by none other than Tom.

"You're going to have to say yes to me eventually," he said with a hungry smile. Chloe looked at him fearfully and tried to push him away. However, the vast amount of alcohol she had consumed since Beca's introduction had begun to take effect, and she was unable to manage any measure of real force. He chuckled as he opened the door behind her and shoved her into the room, practically throwing her onto the bed before turning around and locking the door.

"Tom, don't do this," she pleaded as he faced her and removed his shirt. Chloe rose to her feet, her balance unsteady due to the alcohol in her system. "Please." The boy stalked towards her threateningly, ignoring her words all together.

"Well, it didn't have to be this way, Chlo. I gave you plenty of chances," he stated. Chloe continued to back away. The room they now occupied apparently belonged to a rather messy individual, as clothes, bottles, and books were scattered across the floor. As she placed her right foot behind her, a half emptied beer bottle came between her foot and the floor, causing the ginger to fall with a yelp, her head slamming against the wall as she made contact with the dirty floor. She groaned, the alcohol enough to dull the pain but not enough to keep it from making her even dizzier, her vision blurring to levels of near blindness. As the redhead's consciousness began to slip away, the door to the room flew open violently to reveal a short figure entering the room.

"What the-" Tom began to yell as he turned to face the intruder. However, before he could finish the sentence, the figure disappeared from his vision, and he was silenced by two arms wrapping around his neck, gripping him firmly in a sleeper hold. The last thing Chloe was able to see was the boy slumping to the floor, unconscious, before she herself passed out.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: So, at the encouragement of a reviewer, I have resigned myself to continuing the author's notes for now. I probably won't continue to update at the rate I've been going this week, as I was feeling uncharacteristically inspired for some reason. I am going to try and work on my other story a bit before I start the next chapter. Hopefully, I'll be able to make some progress on it and have the next chapter of this story done next week. Anyway, as always, thank you so very much to all who have read, reviewed, followed, and/or favorited this story. You guys rock. Some of the conversation in this chapter were a bit difficult for me to write for some reason, and dialogue is where I feel I struggle most in writing, so any feedback on that would be greatly appreciated. Anyway, I hope you all continue to enjoy the story, and thanks again!_

* * *

**Pure**

"_Like an angel without a sense of mercy"_

Chapter 4: Her DJ, Watchful

Chloe's eyes fluttered open, an unfamiliar ceiling appearing before her as her vision began to focus. She quickly sat up on the bed she had been lying on, but realized that this was a mistake as a sharp pain racked her cranium. She grimaced at the pain as she tried to determine where she was. When she began to look around, she noticed a rather concerned looking Aubrey sitting to the left of the bed.

"Hey, take it easy there, Chloe," the blonde said as she moved towards the pained girl, gently pushing her to lie back down on the bed.

"Where are we?" The redhead asked.

"Stacie's room in her sorority house."

"Who?"

"Stacie. She's that girl I was talking to before you came up to me babbling about Beca," Aubrey said. "She offered to let us stay here until you woke up." Chloe closed her eyes, trying to remember what had led to this situation. She could clearly recall everything up until the moment she fell and hit her head. At that point, she could only find fragments; a small glimpse of a short figure, a girl, she thought, forcibly entering the room, and Tom falling limp to the floor.

"What exactly did happen?" The ginger senior asked. Aubrey looked at her worriedly again.

"How much do you remember?"

"Everything up until I fell and hit my head in the room with Tom," Chloe said, earning a sigh of relief from Aubrey that she hadn't really suffered much in the way of memory loss.

"Well, after you wandered off, I couldn't find you, so I went to ask Stacie if she had seen you. She hadn't, but she offered to help me look for you. After we couldn't locate you, I started to get really worried, seeing as you seemed pretty far gone at that point. But then your DJ, Beca, came walking down the stairs of the house with a boy behind her carrying you. I think she said his name was Jesse. She told us how she had seen Tom harassing you earlier and had Jesse watch out for him, and that they got him away from you, but you had passed out, so they came to find us. And that's when Stacie said we could come here, so we didn't have to carry you all the way back to our place," Aubrey explained. Chloe looked at the blonde in bewilderment. She knew only one person had saved her, and she was positive it was a girl. The redhead felt pretty unsettled at this revelation.

"Well, tonight definitely could have gone better," she muttered. Aubrey's eyes narrowed as she heard the redhead's words.

"Yes, Chloe, it could have if you hadn't decided to get wasted and wander off on your own in a party full of drunken idiots, especially when one of them was your crazy ex!" She scolded.

"I didn't know he was that crazy!" Chloe shot back, feeling both indignant and hurt by the blonde's words. "And I didn't ask for him to do this to me!"

"No, but you made it a hell of a lot easier for him!" Aubrey countered. Tears began to well up in both girls' eyes, and just as Chloe was about to issue her retort, the pain in her head returned, and she winced as she clutched it in agony. Aubrey looked at the redhead and pity took over the anger she had felt. "I'll go ask Stacie if she can get some ice for your head." She stood up and left the room, leaving Chloe alone in the unfamiliar room. Or, so she thought.

"God, why does she have to act like that sometimes?" Chloe hissed to no one in particular, tears now falling freely from her eyes.

"You shouldn't be angry with her," a soft voice came from the other side of the room, and Chloe jumped up in the bed at the realization that she was not, in fact, alone. She looked around for the source of the voice, and out of the corner of the room stepped the girl who had incessantly occupied her thoughts since the week began, the girl who was, thus far, a complete enigma, the girl who, she was now convinced, had saved her from a rather horrible fate. The little brunette DJ, Beca Mitchell. "She doesn't blame you for what happened. She was just really worried about you." Chloe nodded and tried to clear her face of tears before she began to speak.

"I know," she said quietly. "I'm not really mad at her. It's just... God, I feel so stupid!" Beca smiled at the redhead as she approached the bed. She reached out and, with her thumb, gently wiped away the tear that had just fallen down Chloe's left cheek. The redhead looked up at Beca and instantly felt her heart skip a beat as she took in the sight of the warm, comforting smile on the brunette's face.

"Don't blame yourself. You aren't the bad guy here. He was, and he's not here now. You're safe. Besides..." Beca said, letting out a small chuckle. "Your friend tells me I'm the reason for your behavior tonight." Chloe's eyes widened in shock and embarrassment, and she groaned as she buried her head between her knees, trying to disappear from Beca's sight.

"Oh my God, I can't believe she told you that!" Chloe said as she tried desperately to hide the blush on her face from the shorter girl. "This is so embarrassing." Beca let out another small laugh.

"Yea, I guess it would be, if I were anyone else, that is," she said, causing the ginger to look up at her in confusion. "I've been wanting to talk to you too, I just didn't know what I would say. I'm not exactly good at the whole social interaction thing." Chloe's heart jumped upon hearing this, and she smiled as she looked at the little brunette.

"You seem to be doing all right to me. And I can't imagine anything you could have said would have made it as bad as the circumstances we're meeting under now," she said, now laughing a little herself.

"I guess you're right," she agreed with a smirk.

"Thank you, Beca," Chloe said somberly.

"For what?"

"For saving me, of course," the ginger answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"That wasn't just me. I had help," Beca responded. Chloe shook her head.

"No, I know what I saw. You came into the room, alone, and stopped Tom from attacking me," she stated. The brunette sighed.

"Chloe, you had been drinking and you had hit your head. It isn't what it looked like. It took Jesse and myself to stop that guy," she said solemnly, hating herself for the lie she told. Chloe, however, just giggled at the response.

"Whatever you say, DJ," she said sweetly, not quite believing Beca's story, but not willing to continue to push the issue. Beca smiled at the redhead. For a moment, the two girls remained motionless, content to stay in the comfortable silence that had befallen the room. After a few seconds though, Beca's ears twitched nearly imperceptibly as she heard Aubrey coming down the hall.

"Aubrey should be back with your ice soon. I'm glad I finally got to meet you, even if it was under less than fortunate circumstances. I'll see you around," Beca said as she began to head for the door. As soon as she left the room, Chloe instantly regretted not asking her to stay. She sighed and laughed quietly to herself, still not believing that the little brunette could so easily cause her to abandon all coherent thought. Mere seconds after Beca vacated the room, Aubrey walked in holding a washcloth and a bag of ice. Observing the dreamy smile on Chloe's face, and having seen Beca leaving the room, she began a full inquisition on what had taken place in her absence.

Beca, for her part, made her way to the roof of the sorority house. The short brunette stood at the edge and looked out over the campus of Barden University, sighing as the cool breeze washed over her face. Though she took in the sight of the few lights illuminating the landscape in silence with what appeared to be intense interest, her thoughts were not on the view, but on the redhead.

"What is it with you and hiding in high places?" Came Jesse's voice from behind her. Beca smirked as his word's reached her ears.

"Maybe I'm just trying to avoid interacting with people," she said jokingly. "What is it with you and never just leaving me in peace?"

"What kind of best friend would I be if I just left you alone?" He responded with a smile. Beca paused for a moment. Best friend. It was true, Jesse had been the only real friend that had stuck with the little DJ as long as he had. Most people were just put off by her mysterious nature and unwillingness to let people in, but the goofy boy had persisted, and here he stood, still doing everything he could to help her, as much as she felt she didn't deserve it. She smiled before turning to face him.

"A polite one, if nothing else," she teased, earning a laugh from the tall boy.

"I know the girl who won't even tell her crush the truth about how she saved her did not just try to lecture me on manners," he said lightheartedly, though his words caused Beca to frown.

"You know I hate lying," she said, turning back to face the dark landscape of Barden.

"Then why do it?" Jesse asked forlornly. "You like her, Beca, and as weird as it may be, considering you didn't even talk to her until tonight, it's more than you can say about anyone else you've ever met. Even me..." Beca sighed.

"It's complicated."

"You always say that. For years, you've said that, and I never questioned it, thinking one day you might tell me. Look, Becs, I'm not going anywhere, but some day, you're going to have to talk to someone. If you don't let people in, how can they be expected to let you in?" Jesse spoke, unable to hide the sadness in his voice. Beca remained silent. He wouldn't understand. No one would. With a sigh, Jesse spoke up again. "I'm about to drive the girls home. Let me know if you need anything." He turned and walked back into the house, leaving Beca alone with her thoughts.

"Thank you..." she whispered into the night. The breeze picked up, bringing an uncharacteristic chill for the season, and Beca's eyes narrowed as she felt a new presence behind her.

"Lovely evening, wouldn't you say?" A smooth, eerily calm voice emanated from behind the short girl.

"Gabriel," Beca said without turning around, easily recognizing the voice.

"Ceirsion," Gabriel said, walking slowly towards the girl. As he approached, she turned to look at the man now on the roof with her. It was an unfortunately familiar sight. He was tall, muscular, with long, flowing blonde hair and a pale, almost glowing complexion. Her navy blue eyes locked on his, which were a radiant gold.

"I gave up that name a long time ago," the brunette said placidly.

"Ah, yes, you took the name the humans gave you. What was it? Rebecca, I believe?" The strange man asked, though he knew the answer.

"I prefer Beca, but that's not the point," she responded. "What business does an Archangel have on Earth tonight?" Gabriel let out a soft chuckle.

"What? I can't simply drop in to say hello to an old friend?"

"You and I have very different definitions of the word 'friend.'"

"Clearly. But, alas, that is all I'm really here to say," he answered, raising his arms defensively. He smiled as he reached Beca, standing little more than a foot away from the brunette. "Hello."

Beca looked at the angel, trying with every fiber of her being to determine the real reason for his presence. He reached out with his right hand to take hold of Beca's and gave a small bow as he raised it to his lips, placing a kiss on the back of her hand.

"I'll be seeing you around... my lady." And, in a blinding flash of light, he was gone. Beca stood motionless as her mind processed the situation.

"Shit..."


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Okay, I lied. I didn't intend to write this whole chapter yet but it seemed to come to me rather easily so I just kept on writing. I'm not going to have much time to work on anything this weekend so it really will be next week before I finish the next chapter. That being said, I hope you continue to enjoy the story. It's definitely been a lot of fun to write so far. Also, thank you for all the follows, favorites, and reviews! And, as always, and feedback for improvement is welcome, as I know I'm terribly far from perfect. _

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**Pure**

"_Death, be not proud.  
__Though some have called thee mighty and dreadful,  
__thou art not so."_

Chapter 5: Her DJ, Mourning

On most Saturday mornings, Beca Mitchell could be found in her room, sleeping well into the afternoon if she had her way. This particular Saturday, however, was different. When her roommate, a rather unfriendly Korean girl by the name of Kimmy Jin, woke at 9:00, as she did every Saturday, she saw Beca's bed vacant and neatly made up. The Asian girl was unable to decide whether she was more disturbed by the fact that the brunette was not, in fact, sleeping the day away or by the fact that the covers and pillows of her bed were not strewn haphazardly about her side of the room. What the white girl was up to in her free time was none of Kimmy Jin's concern, however, and she quickly forgot about her as she went about her business.

On this morning, the twenty-first of September, Beca stood rigidly in a cemetery roughly thirty miles north of Barden University. She was dressed in a simple black skirt, a white blouse, and a black jacket. Her usual overdose of eyeliner had been forgone in favor of a lighter application, and her plethora of piercings and ear spike had been replaced with two simple diamond studs. She drew in a deep breath, smelling the morning dew that the sun had yet to evaporate, the heat of the day not yet setting in. There were no tears as she looked down at the small gravestone before her, though she tightly clenched the bouquet of lilies that she held. She read the name once again, as though she might possibly erase the words with shear willpower.

'Here lies Diane Mitchell, loving mother and wife.'

"I couldn't save you, Mom," Beca whispered. "And you'll never know how sorry I am."

"You can't blame yourself, Beca," Dr. Mitchell said from his position next to her. "You were a child."

"I can't erase my regret just by blaming my own helplessness," she replied solemnly. Dr. Mitchell sighed as his gaze shifted from the gravestone to his daughter. He reached out and took hold of her shoulder, pulling her close to himself.

"I know you can't, Becs. But maybe, you'll start to understand that things happen for a reason. I know you miss her. I do too," he tried to console her. A solitary tear ran down his cheek as he spoke. "But we can't just live in sorrow over her death forever. She wouldn't want that." Beca continued to stare. She blinked back the tears that threatened to fall, for she would not cry. She'd had enough crying in her days. She slowly walked forward, out of her father's embrace, and knelt before the grave. She carefully laid the flowers across the front of the gravestone, and closed her eyes for a moment before returning to her feet. The two stood in silence for several minutes, until it was time for Dr. Mitchell to leave, as he, like so many others, was subject to the toils and responsibilities of everyday life. Beca remained. She had nothing better to do. Nearly half an hour after Dr. Mitchell's departure, a soft breeze rolled through the cemetery. Beca's near catatonic stare that had been fixed on the name of her mother was quickly ended as she felt the air around her change much in the same way it had the night before. She turned around and was met with the sight of another tall, well-built man dressed in a black suit. His hair was short and black, and his skin was pale and radiant. His eyes, gold.

"Michael," Beca said. The man gave a short bow before he spoke.

"Lady Ceirsion," he said respectfully. Her eyes narrowed at the mention of that name.

"Like I told Gabriel, that's not my name anymore," she said.

"Forgive me, but you will always be Lady Ceirsion to me," the man replied. Beca sighed.

"My name is Beca," she said firmly. "Ceirsion no longer exists." A small, nearly imperceptible smile crept across the man's face.

"Again, my apologies, Lady Rebecca, but old habits do indeed die hard," Michael replied, causing Beca to roll her eyes at the new moniker.

"What do you want, Michael?"

"To talk."

"About what?"

"Gabriel," Michael stated. "And you." Beca's eyes narrowed at the raven-haired archangel. She stared intensely at him for several moments, working through every scenario that could involve herself and the blonde angel.

"Go on..." she said quietly.

"He doesn't trust you," the man said. "Many in Heaven share his sentiment."

"Do you?" Beca inquired.

"I have only the utmost respect for you. In fact, I've been your greatest advocate for the past eighteen years. I know what your sacrifice cost you, and I know what you've been through since," he said, glancing behind the girl towards the gravestone as he spoke. "But you cannot deny that their reasons are valid. And Gabriel, well, Gabriel would like nothing more than an excuse to smite you, especially considering the many times you've made a fool of him." Beca rolled her eyes at the angel's archaic terms, but she chuckled slightly at the memories his words evoked.

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Nothing. You don't owe us anything as far as I'm concerned," he answered, earning a genuine smile from the brunette. "I just thought I would let you know. And I will do everything in my power to keep him away from you."

"Thank you," Beca said sincerely. She chuckled to herself as a new thought entered her mind. "A bit ironic, don't you think? The most powerful Archangel in Heaven doing someone like me a favor?" Michael smiled at the girl.

"The irony is not lost on me, my lady," he said lightly, causing both to laugh. After a few seconds, when the pair had calmed down, he spoke up again. "I must take my leave now, Lady Rebecca. Take care of yourself."

"You too, Michael. And thanks again," Beca said. Michael turned and began to walk away slowly, but as he did, he looked back over his shoulder and smiled before he disappeared in a brilliant flash of light. Beca looked to the sky to see an eagle soaring gracefully overhead, and she smiled, laughing quietly. "Never an ugly moment with Angels around..." She turned back to the grave. She sighed, and began to think about the years that had led her to this point. Eventually though, her mind came to the memory of a certain bright and warm redhead. As she fondly recalled the few memories she had of Chloe, she smiled once again. It wasn't long though before she thought back to a conversation she had with Jesse earlier in the week.

_"I cannot believe you've got it this bad for her, dude," Jesse said, wearing his signature goofy grin. "And you haven't even talked to her! Though, I suppose this explains why you'd never go out with me."_

_ "Hmm, and that couldn't be just because you're way to weird and ridiculous for me to be attracted to you?" Beca teased the boy. _

_ "I'm hurt, Becs," he said, covering his chest in mock pain. "But seriously though, dude, why her?"_

_ "I don't know, Jesse," she said quietly. "It's just... from the moment I saw her, I could feel her kindness, her happiness... and I'm drawn to __her__. I can't explain it." _

_ "And you think I'm a weirdo. I never know what you're talking about half the time. I mean, who talks like that?" He asked. Beca only glared at him, __though she understood his point. She was an odd one, in pretty much everyone's eyes. And if she wasn't, she probably should be__. "Seriously, dude, I'm pretty sure you just have a crush on her. A pretty epic one, __admittedly,__ but a crush nonetheless. I mean, she is really attractive." _

_ "If you say so."_

_ "You should talk to her instead of just hiding every time you see her. Which, by the way, makes no damn sense to me.__ Especially since you apparently acted pretty badass the first two times you saw her."_

_ "It's easy to act that way. A lot easier than trying to come up with something to say."_

_ "You're hopeless."_

_ "Tell me something I don't know..."_

Why this was returning to her now, Beca was unable to comprehend. The conversation hadn't really lead her to any great conclusions or epiphanies, but as she thought of it now, she began to realize how foolish she had been. She wasn't lying when she claimed she wasn't adept at social interaction, but meeting Chloe had taken it to a new extreme. She resolved to begin making an effort to know the girl, and perhaps, just maybe, she would finally make a new friend. Perhaps she would finally learn to live without regret.

The groundskeeper of the North Barden Cemetery gazed out of the window of the funeral home overlooking the field of graves. He noticed that the short girl still stood motionless in front of a tombstone. He sighed. She had been there for hours. It was often rather melancholy, working in this business. But the worst of it was having to see the sorrow in all those who visited. The groundskeeper marveled at the fact that he had not gone insane over it yet. He looked out through the window again, and was immediately bewildered by the sight of the deserted cemetery. The girl was gone. He scratched his head in confusion. Maybe he had gone insane.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: So I had intended for this and the next chapter to be a single chapter but I found I had a lot more to write about this particular scene, so I just found a good stopping point and split it into two. Also, I had two words I wanted to use for the chapter title and was having trouble deciding which one to go with, so this made that decision easier for me. I cannot say this enough: thank you SO much to everyone who has read, followed, favorited, or reviewed the story at this point. It really is great to get any feedback at all, so I am extremely grateful. As such, I hope you continue to enjoy it. Also, I'm not really liking the current synopsis, so I think I am going to change it. If anyone were to let me know whether they think the new one or the old one is better, I would very much appreciate it._

_I edited the story to hopefully make it more clear when this chapter takes place. It is the same day as the in the previous chapter, the day after the party where Beca saved Chloe. Please let me know if this still doesn't come across well in the story._

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**Pure**

"_These days can get so dark,  
__like an eclipse in the sky,  
__but I can rise above,  
__I can find the light."_

Chapter 6: Her DJ, Willing

Chloe sat on the couch in her and Aubrey's shared apartment, clutching her phone tightly in her right hand, and a small piece of paper with thirteen numbers written on it in her left. Beca Mitchell's phone number. She bit her lip as her thumb hovered over the call button on her own phone. As doubt once again filled her mind, she set the phone down on the coffee table with a defeated sigh.

"Chloe Beale, I did not go through the trouble of getting that number from Jesse so that you could back out now!" Aubrey chided, exasperation evident in her tone.

"But Bree, I really don't know what to say to her!"

"Anything. Seriously. Just say anything, and she will come running. Between what you told me about your conversation last night and how she'd acted up until then, I'm pretty sure you and her are in the exact same position, both terrified of making the first move. If this was anyone else, it wouldn't matter because most people you like can't keep you away," Aubrey explained. "I'm pretty sure she's usually the awkward one, so you're either going to have to get your head out of your ass and figure out where the usual Chloe Beale charisma and charm went, or continue to wear it like a hat and fret like a high school girl until all three of us go insane." Chloe's mouth was agape as she stared at her roommate, who wore a victorious smirk.

"I suppose you may have a point," Chloe admitted when she finally found her voice.

"Of course I have a point," Aubrey said coolly. "Now get on with it." Chloe smiled to herself, shaking her head at the ridiculousness of the situation. Of course Aubrey was right. Chloe Beale was not one to be awkward and shy around people, usually having no problems introducing herself to even the most intimidating of strangers. She chuckled as she picked up the phone and confidently dialed Beca's number again. However, just as she was about to hit the 'Call' button, there came a soft knock on the door of the apartment.

It was a soft sound, barely audible to the apartment's two occupants. Chloe and Aubrey looked at each other in slight confusion.

"Expecting someone?" Chloe inquired as Aubrey made her way to the door, shaking her head to indicate that she was not. The blonde girl peered through the looking hole of the door to see none other than Beca Mitchell standing outside. Aubrey smiled, silently thanking the universe for the end of Chloe's troubles, before opening the door.

"Hey," Beca said as Aubrey opened the door. She looked down at the shorter girl expectantly, waiting for her to speak. "I was wondering if Chloe is here?"

"She is. Would you like to come in?" She asked. Beca nodded her answer to the blonde girl, who stepped aside to allow her access into the apartment. She followed close behind Aubrey as they walked to the living room. As Chloe looked up at the two girls entering the living room, a bright, wide smile lit up her face. She was on her feet in an instant, nearly tackling the little DJ in a bone-crunching hug. Beca, though, remained perfectly on balance, shifting her left foot back slightly to brace herself against the force of the taller girl slamming into her.

"Beca!" Chloe said as she released the girl from the embrace. "What's up? What are you doing here?" Aubrey smiled to herself as she heard the redhead finally start to speak like her usual self, quickly and confidently, filling any hope of silence with questions. She shook her head as she headed to her room. "And more importantly, how do you know where I live?"

"Woah, take it easy there, Chloe," she said, attempting to hold off the torrent of questions. "Jesse told me. He remembered from having driven you two home last night." It wasn't entirely untrue, but Beca had known where the girls lived without Jesse's help. Chloe need not know that though, considering it was, in fact, rather creepy when she really thought about it. "And I just wanted to come check on you, since I didn't get to see you last night after I left you with Aubrey in Stacie's room and I was still sort of worried about you, considering how... Unfortunate that night was."

Chloe looked at the brunette DJ. Somehow, the girl looked different. She quickly noticed, upon inspection, that there was no heavy application of eyeliner or dark eyeshadow. Save for that, she was physically the same as she always had appeared to Chloe. Dark skinny jeans, a blue plaid shirt over a gray tank top, ear spike and other various piercings in place, but there was something different in her eyes. She seemed more at ease, Chloe thought. She giggled a little as she began to speak.

"I'm fine. Better than fine, actually," she said. Beca smiled up at her as she heard her words.

"That's good," Beca said with relief in her voice. "Umm... So I was wondering if... maybe..."

"Yes?" Chloe asked, mentally urging her to go on. As the girl spoke, Chloe thought she saw, if for only a moment, a small slip in the cool, collected manner with which Beca usually carried herself. But, she quickly recovered with her signature smirk.

"I was just wondering if you'd like to get lunch with me," she said.

"That sounds great," Chloe responded brightly.

"Awesome," Beca replied with a smile. Chloe called out to Aubrey that she was leaving with Beca before the two left the apartment. The shorter girl led Chloe down the concrete steps outside of the apartment and into the parking lot towards what was, for both girls, a familiar sight: Jesse's black 2013 Nissan Maxima.

"Will Jesse be joining us?" Chloe asked with just a hint of disappointment in her voice, which did not go entirely unnoticed by Beca. She smirked at the older girl as she removed the keys to the car from her pocket and remotely unlocked the doors.

"Nah, dude. I don't have a car so he let's me borrow his occasionally," the brunette explained.

"That's sweet of him."

"Yea, he's a great guy," Beca said nonchalantly. Chloe paused and looked at Beca as she sat down in the passenger seat of the car. As the DJ turned on the ignition of the vehicle, she turned to see Chloe eying her with what she could only assume was doubt. "What's up?"

"Is Jesse your boyfriend?" Chloe asked, trying to sound as casual as possible. Beca smirked and let out a soft chuckle.

"Nah, dude. Though not for lack of trying on his part. He used to ask me out like every other day back in high school, though eventually he got the message. I just wasn't attracted to him. I wasn't attracted to anyone, really," she explained.

"So you've never had a boyfriend?"

"Nope."

"Then... a girlfriend?"

"Nope."

Chloe stared thoughtfully at the brunette as she began to drive. How could this girl have never dated anyone, she wondered. For Chloe, who loved people, it was hard to believe that someone could have spent so much time alone.

"How is that even possible?" Chloe asked, somewhat incredulously. Beca glanced at the redhead as she drove, smirking as she did so.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I mean, I don't know, just..." Chloe began, suddenly wishing she hadn't vocalized her question. But, she had, and she resolved to continue. "I mean, you just seem so awesome and cool and talented and you're really attractive, so how is it that you never dated anyone, even if just to see what it was like?"

"So you think I'm attractive?" Beca asked with a mischievous grin. Chloe's face flushed red, and she prayed that Beca was a responsible enough driver to keep her eyes on the road and not look at her.

"Well, I mean..." Chloe began to stutter, but, remembering Aubrey's speech, decided to throw her awkwardness to the wind. "Yes. I think you're hot." Beca nearly swerved off of the road, not expecting the situation to be reversed on her like that. She recovered quickly, but not before Chloe was in hysterics at her reaction. By the time she had calmed down enough to form a comprehensible statement, they had arrived at their destination.

The two girls stepped out of the car after Beca had quickly maneuvered the car into a narrow parking spot and walked towards the small, somewhat run down looking diner. Chloe had her doubts about the place, but Beca assured her that the quality of the food could not be matched. The brunette held the door open for the senior girl as they reached the building, which Chloe found absolutely adorable. After they sat down in a booth towards the back of the small restaurant and placed their orders, Chloe resumed her quest for information on Beca's dating life, or lack thereof.

"So, seriously, no one?" Chloe asked. Beca sighed, and she thought for a moment before giving an answer to the ginger.

"I don't know. I guess I just was never interested. I didn't really see the point. And, as I said, I wasn't attracted to anyone," she explained. Chloe bit her lip as she took in the sight of the little brunette sitting across from her. She was beautiful. It was then that she realized she didn't just want to meet this mysterious girl so they could be friends, or so that she could learn more about her. She realized that she was genuinely attracted to her. But, for so many before her to have failed to catch the interest of the short girl, what hope did she have, she thought. She didn't have long to think on it, however, as Beca quickly shifted the conversation to questions about the redhead. It was easy for her to talk about herself. She told Beca a great deal about every aspect of her life, from her favorite flavor of ice cream to her career goals to the story of how she and Aubrey met to her favorite song, among a myriad of other topics. Beca was a bit thrown off by that last one, though. She had never heard of a 'lady-jam' and wasn't entirely sure what it meant, but if Chloe's mischievous wink and sly smile was any indication, it was likely something more lewd than she had ever given thought to up until then. This time, it was Beca's turn to blush red, and causing this was a feat that Chloe was more than proud to have accomplished. Still, the fact that she could feel that way about music was more than a little bit interesting to the brunette.

The two girls continued to talk for hours, with Chloe usually being the focus of the conversation, as Beca often deflected or gave rather vague or general answers to most of the questions Chloe had asked. The only time she really opened up was when Chloe asked about her music, which Beca could have taught a class on, considering how much she had to say on that subject. This only caused the redhead to be even more attracted to her. Passion was deeply embedded in Chloe's soul, and she was most easily attracted to people who had their own passions. And if they happened to share the ginger's passion for music, well, there was no faster way to the girl's heart. Thus, Chloe fell even harder for the little brunette. Eventually, though, Beca finally looked at her watch and was astonished to discover it was now well past 4:00, the girls having arrived at the diner somewhere around 1:00.

"I should probably get you back. I bet you're tired of me monopolizing your time like this," Beca said.

"No, it's fine, really!" Chloe replied sweetly. "Honestly, I'd rather just keep hanging out with you. Hey!" Beca looked quickly to the redhead as she heard her sudden exclamation. "We could go to the carnival!"

"What?" Beca asked.

"There's a carnival in town this weekend! Come on, it'll be fun," Chloe stated brightly. She was most definitively the type of person who fell in love with all manner of fairs, festivals, and carnivals, and the thought of being able to go to one with the brunette sounded more than pleasing to the redhead. Also, she simply was not ready for her time with the little DJ to end.

"I don't know, Chloe," Beca said with a sigh. While she too was not ready to leave the other's company, she was never a fan being amidst large crowds of people, nor was she a fan of carnivals. But when she saw the pleading pout on Chloe's face, her heart was instantly melted, and she knew that the face Chloe now wore was all it would ever take to convince her to do anything at all. She smiled and shook her head before giving her answer. "To the carnival it is."


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: I don't really have much to say about this one other than the usual thanks for all of the support and reviews, and I hope you all continue to enjoy the story! _

* * *

**Pure**

"_While I'm holding you this night,  
__I can hear you breathing,  
__as a star is shining bright  
__over the edge of this void."_

Chapter 7: Her DJ, Determined

"Oh my God, that was the scariest ride ever!" Chloe squealed as she an Beca disembarked from the roller coaster that was the main attraction at Barden's annual carnival. "Let's go again!"

"Seriously, dude?" Beca asked incredulously. "You literally just said that it was terrifying."

"Well, that's the point of roller coasters, silly," the redhead chided sweetly. "Come on! One more time? Please?" She held her hands together as she donned her expression of imploring desperation, against which Beca was powerless to say no, much to her dismay. She sighed in defeat.

"Okay, one more time," she said with resignation. "But after that, I need a break from the rides or I think my shoes might become rather intimately acquainted with the contents of my stomach." She clutched her abdomen absentmindedly as she spoke, earning a soft giggle from the ginger. They had been at the carnival for nearly two hours, and Chloe had convinced Beca to go on a myriad of rides with her nearly non stop since they had arrived. Really though, 'coerced' would be a more accurate term than 'convinced,' in this case. Beca had not been terribly keen on the roller coasters in the first place, but, oddly enough in her own mind, the happiness that it brought Chloe was enough to keep her from complaining too much. She really began to question why she felt so compelled to bring joy to the redhead, but promptly brushed off that line of thinking in favor of simply enjoying the time she had with her.

"We can take the break now. I've been wanting to play some games anyway," Chloe said. Beca smiled in relief that she would not be boarding another flying machine of death again in the next few minutes. Still, having Chloe Beale grab one's hand to be quickly and unceremoniously dragged off to find the nearest carnival game wasn't much of a step down from the flying death machines. Even Beca nearly lost her balance when Chloe took her hand as she began to run towards what appeared to be a shooting game that held large variety of oversized stuffed animals, and Beca gathered that the redhead was more than a little interested in winning one of them.

It was a shooting game. The objective appeared to be to hit a small target in the back of the booth with the toy gun provided at the front. This was made fairly difficult by the fact that several different obstacles were erected and began to move in and out of the line of sight to the target as the game began.

"I'm going to win that giant teddy bear," Chloe announced confidently as she took her seat at one of the turrets. Noticing that Beca had not sat down, she turned to the girl with a questioning look on her face. "Don't you want to play?"

"Nah, I'm not very good at games, plus I need to save my money," Beca replied. Chloe paused for a moment before pulling out her own entry fee for the game.

"Suit yourself, but if after watching me play you realize how much fun you're missing out on, I can pay for you to play if you want," she said with a wink to the little brunette before handing the her money to the somewhat sleazy looking individual who ran the booth. Beca glared at him suspiciously as he explained the rules to Chloe, who was nearly bouncing up and down in her seat due to her excitement. When the whistle blew to announce the beginning of the game, Chloe immediately took hold of the toy rifle and began firing off shots in rapid succession towards the target. Beca watched each and every plastic projectile miss their mark, either by being incorrectly aimed or by bouncing off one of the many moving barriers. She sighed, knowing Chloe was unlikely to win her prize.

When the round ended, Chloe instantly threw down more money to have another go, much to the delight of the booth's manager, who smiled greedily as he pocketed the cash. Beca's eyes narrowed at him. Her gaze was drawn from him though when the whistle blew, and Chloe's volley began again in the direction of the target. It was the same story as before, every shot either missed or was blocked. However, towards the end, Beca saw a solitary pellet, nearly in slow motion, make contact with the target. Instead of falling over to signal Chloe's victory though, it remained upright and the game continued until time was called.

"So sorry, Miss," the man said. "Would you like to try again?"

"Hey!" Beca said, approaching the man angrily. "She hit the target, give her the prize." The man smiled at the little brunette, looking her up and down in fairly disgusting fashion.

"I'm terribly sorry, Miss, but your friend failed to knock the target over, as per the rules of the game. She didn't win anything," he said, his voice eerily gleeful, as though he took pleasure in the disappointment of others and the monetary income that resulted. Beca scowled at the man as Chloe stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay, Beca, it's just a stupid teddy bear," she said, wanting to avoid a confrontation. The sadness in her voice at not being able to win was subtle, but Beca heard it loud and clear. She looked at Chloe and smirked, and Chloe could have sworn she saw a glint of red in her eyes as she did, but figured she must have been imagining it.

"Let me have a turn," Beca said, placing her own money on the counter. The sleazy man scooped it up quickly.

"As you wish," he said with his eery smile. Beca rolled her eyes as she sat down in front of the rifle. She examined it quickly, noting that it was a simple air-powered pellet gun, and that it likely did not output enough force to allow the projectiles to topple the target. When the game started, she held her hand in front of the barrel and fired a single shot. The pellet landed painlessly in her hand, and her suspicions were confirmed. She turned the small, plastic ball in her hand, realizing how light it was. She sighed and stood up.

"Giving up already?" The man asked. Beca looked at him maliciously, and noted she had less than thirty seven seconds before the game ended.

"Nope. But that rifle couldn't puncture a piece of printer paper," she said. The man looked at her in confusion, for though he knew the secret of his games, no one had ever called him on it before. "So I won't be needing it." Beca extended her right arm, with the plastic pellet in hand. She held it between her thumb, index, and middle fingers, and she lined it up precisely with the target. She let out a breath as she steadied her arm, and pulled her index finger back behind the projectile. Her eyes narrowed as she watched the target, waiting for the perfect moment so as not to hit a barrier. Unlike Chloe, she would have only one chance. As soon as she saw an opening, she flicked her index finger forward, propelling the plastic ball forward with an incredible force. It flew straight as a laser towards the target and slammed into it with enough force to knock it over, had it not been rigged to withstand even more force than the rifles of the game could put out. The projectile pierced through the target and embedded itself in the wood behind it. Chloe's eyes widened in shock and disbelief, as did the eyes of the man behind the booth. "So now that we know you really are a cheater, I'd like you to give me my prize and then close down this booth, or the next one will be aimed at you." The man, whose jaw had dropped, nodded dumbly as Beca glared at him, eyes full of malice. He quickly retrieved the large teddy bear that Chloe had desired and handed it to Beca before pulling the metal fence used to secure the booth closed. Beca turned to a dumbstruck Chloe and held the stuffed animal out to her, smiling. "Here you go."

"Beca... what... how?" Chloe asked. "That was incredible..."

"It's no big deal," Beca said, again holding the bear out for the redhead to take it. When she finally shook her self out of her stupefied daze, she took hold of the large animal and hugged it tightly.

"It is a big deal, Beca," Chloe said with a smile. "That was amazing. You're amazing." The brunette shook her head and smiled. She wasn't used to receiving such praise.

"If you say so."

"I do. And I also don't particularly want to have to lug this thing around for the rest of the night, as much as I like it. I guess it was kind of silly for me to want to win it this early, but I guess I wasn't really expecting to actually get it anyway," Chloe said with a sigh, causing Beca to shrug guiltily. "It's not at all that I don't like it. I love it, I really do! But I was just thinking maybe it might be better to head home now. I know you don't really want to ride any more roller coasters and obviously the games are made for suckers. Plus, I'm hungry." Beca smiled at the ginger's reassurance.

"Sounds great," she said as the two began to walk towards the exit of the carnival. As they walked, Chloe linked her right arm with Beca's left while holding her prize in her other hand, which caused Beca to tense up at first, looking at the redhead in bewilderment. However, Chloe ignored Beca's look, smiling in intentional ignorance of the brunette's discomfort, and eventually, the little DJ began to relax.

When they reached Jesse's vehicle, as he had agreed to let Beca use it for a little while longer so that she could take Chloe to the carnival, the brunette opened the door for Chloe and stuffed the large teddy bear into the backseat. As she closed the door on the passenger side of the car, she stiffened, feeling that they were being watched. She turned to survey their surroundings, but found nothing amongst the sea of unoccupied vehicles. She squinted as she tried to find the source of this uneasy feeling. She was, however, interrupted by Chloe's knocking on the window of the car.

"Hey, Beca," she said. "What are you doing?" Beca shook her head before turning around and smiling reassuringly at the redhead.

"Nothing," she said before walking around the car to enter the driver's seat. She quickly turned on the ignition and drove out of the parking lot. The two girls sat in silence on the drive home, content to simply enjoy the music emanating softly through the speakers and each other's presence. Chloe noticed at one point that Beca was driving slower than she had on the way to the carnival, and she was pretty sure they were taking a slightly longer route home. This earned a quiet giggle from the redhead, and she smiled fondly at Beca as she drove.

When they arrived back at Chloe's apartment, she offered to let Beca come in and have dinner with her and Aubrey, but the brunette politely refused.

"I don't want to intrude," she said.

"Oh come on, making you dinner is the least I can do after you took me to lunch and the carnival. Not to mention winning me this," Chloe countered, hugging the giant teddy bear as she did. Beca chuckled. She really did want to accept the girl's offer, not really ready for their time together to be over. Still, she held her doubts. She found herself feeling strange around the redhead. It was something she had never experienced before, and she couldn't for the life of her explain it.

"I don't know, Chloe," Beca replied.

"Please?" Chloe implored, dragging out the word and putting on that resistance shattering pout that had already convinced Beca to do so many more things than she thought she would ever do, and this was only the first day they had spent together. Beca laughed softly to herself.

"Fine, I guess I can stay for a bit," she said, earning a squeal, a fist pump, and then a hug from Chloe before being pulled into the apartment.

Outside, on the roof of the adjacent building, two men stood watching the girls entering the apartment.

"So this is what Ceirsion has become, eh?" Gabriel asked.

"You shouldn't be here, Gabriel," the man behind him spoke. "Michael forbid you from any contact with her."

"Michael is a fool, Raphael," the blonde angel said, turning around to face Raphael. He was shorter than Michael and Gabriel, and there was not a strand of hair on his head. He shared the same gold eyes and radiant complexion of the other two angels and was more muscular than both. "I'll never understand how he could ever trust anyone like _her_."

"She did us a great service," the bald angel said. "At great cost to herself."

"Was it really such a service? Or a sacrifice?"

"I don't follow your meaning," Raphael responded stoically.

"Even if you don't understand," Gabriel began with a sigh. "How can any angel, or human, for that matter, trust her kind?" The wind whipped between the two as they spoke, and they heard the door of the building they were on begin to open. The two angels disappeared instantly, and a boy and a girl stumbled out onto the roof. They were laughing and kissing, having taken to the roof to escape an irate roommate who had just caught them making out on the couch of their apartment. They fell to the ground, knowing even in their inebriated state that moving about blindly on the roof was dangerous. It wasn't really important who they were; just two souls blissfully and ignorantly navigating the strange story that was life, with no knowledge or care for the concerns of angels and demons.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: I do apologize that this chapter took so much longer than others, despite not being any longer. I rewrote the opening scene for this chapter like five times, going back and forth on what I wanted to happen. I'm pretty happy with the end result, I just hope it's relatively clear what's going on. There's a thin line of vagueness and clarity that I'm trying to tread in this story, and I often worry that, in pursuit of a mysterious and intriguing setting, I'm forgetting to make things clear enough to keep the story readable and/or interesting. That being said, if you want to ask me about anything, feel free to, and I'll answer as long as it's not a spoiler. As always, any feedback is welcome, and I'd like to give a massive thanks to everyone who has read, followed, favorited, or reviewed the story. I probably sound like a broken record at this point but I really cannot thank you all enough. I hope you continue to enjoy the story!_

* * *

**Pure**

"_But you, you have something you can do, that only you can do. Nobody is forcing you. Think for yourself and make that decision by yourself. Think about what you have to do now. Think about no longer having any regrets."_

Chapter 8: Her DJ, In Memoriam

_A petite __girl stood solemnly,__ look__ing__ out across __an__ endless plain of blood__-__red grass. __She was wholly cloaked in black, flowing robes, her features hidden save for a few strands of silver hair falling over her crimson eyes. __She took in a deep breath, noting the odd, unnameable odor of the land. The sky was a pale orange, and white flashes of lightning streaked through the black clouds. The girl sighed as she adjusted the position of the large, thin, cylindrical object wrapped in a gold cloth which she carried on her back before setting off across the plain._

_ As she made her way across the vast expanse of land, three figures descended from the sky, taking up positions to block her path. They were all tall, muscular men with great white wings that resembled those of an eagle growing from their backs, clad in white and gold armor and airy cloaks. The shortest of the three, who had no hair, and the blonde one alighted on the ground, whilst the raven-haired one remained afloat. The girl's eyes narrowed as she took in the sight of the three angels before her._

_ "You shouldn't be here, Lady Ceirsion," the blonde one spoke first, taking a step towards her. "And I must ask that you return what you stole." He glanced at the item on her back. _

_ "I know you're just doing your job, Gabriel," the silver-haired girl replied. "But you would do well not to hinder me."_

_ "What need have you of the Forbidden Lance?" The short one asked. The girl gazed at him, eying the halberd he held in his right hand carefully. She remained silent, refusing to answer his inquiry. He sighed. "I'm afraid Gabriel is right. This place is off limits to you, and you carry stolen property. Please, be reasonable, my lady. Leave the lance with us and return to Gehenna, or we'll be forced to take action." The girl smirked beneath her hood. _

_ "Try me," she said confidently. Gabriel immediately drew his sword, a long, thin blade meant for piercing, while the shorter angel gripped his halberd with both hands, dropping into a combative stance. The weapons began to emit a soft, golden glow, as one might expect of the weapons of an angel._

_ "Gabriel, Raphael, wait!" The angel in the air shouted. He looked carefully at the cloaked girl before them. "Please, Lady Ceirsion. I don't know what you intend to do here, but you know we cannot allow you to continue. I implore you, please, leave now. I don't want to fight you."_

_ "You're right, Michael, you don't. And neither do I. But there's something that I must do, and I'm going to do it whether you allow me passage or not, and if you mean to attack me, then I will respond in kind," Ceirsion replied, drawing a curved sword from the scabbard on her hip. The blade was as black as the empty void of space, and its hilt held no guard for the wielder's hand. It looked almost to be a single, uniform piece of metal, bearing no small resemblance to a fang._

_ "So be it," Michael replied, drawing an impossibly large sword from his back. He held the greatsword with both hands, and he raised it over his head as he, and the other two angels, advanced towards the small girl in black. "Forgive us, my lady."_

The red landscape faded as the angels approached, and Beca's eyes fluttered open as the ceiling of her dorm room came into focus. She sat up slowly, holding a hand to her forehead.

_'Why am I remembering that now?'_ She thought to herself. With a sigh, she threw off the blankets that covered her and got up before walking over to her desk and powering on her computer. She wore only a light tank top and her underwear, her standard outfit for sleeping, and her irritable roommate looked at her in minor annoyance at her state of undress. Beca, however, was unconcerned. She placed her large pair of headphones over her ears before putting her music library on shuffle, attempting to find new songs to blend together. Hearing Kimmy Jin's voice, she grunted slightly to herself. There was no way, in her mind, that the girl would be wanting to talk to her, so Beca figured she was simply on the phone with one of her own friends. She cranked up the volume, attempting to drown out all other sounds. As she did, La Roux's "_Bulletproof_" began to play through her headphones, and she scoffed slightly to herself, thinking of the memory that had permeated her most recent dream. Bulletproof indeed. Still, it wasn't a bad song, and she thought she might have something to work with here, so she pulled the file into her editing software before putting it on repeat to try and think of songs she could mix with it.

It was then that she felt a light tap on her left shoulder. Confused, she removed her headphones and turned around to be met with the sight of Jesse standing before her, his eyes fixed on the floor so as to avoid looking at her in her current state.

"How'd you get in here?" Beca asked, though she already knew. She figured he'd think it was odd if she didn't ask.

"I knocked. Your roommate answered," he said, still refusing to look at her. It wasn't as though she were naked, but the boy still felt looking would be rude, considering she hadn't been the one to let him in. "You going to put some pants on?" Beca blinked for a moment before looking down, not having realized that she wasn't properly dressed.

"Oh, right, my bad," she said as she got up and walked towards her closet. She quickly retrieved a pair of sweatpants and an oversized shirt, which she threw on over her current clothes before turning around. "You can stop staring at the floor now, dude." The boy looked up at Beca and sighed regretfully as he took in the sight of her. Even having just woken up, dressed haphazardly, lacking any of her standard make up or piercings, and with no regard for achieving an aesthetically pleasing appearance, she was beautiful. Jesse shook his head to clear the thought from his mind. It didn't help him to think that way. She was his best friend and that was the end of it.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go see the new X-Men movie with me," he said. "It's been a while since we hung out."

"Sorry, Jesse, I already have plans tonight with Chloe," Beca replied.

"Oh, that's cool," he said, his voice betraying none of the sadness he felt, but Beca could sense it, and she felt a pang of guilt rush through her. For the past month, she had been spending more and more time with the sunny redhead, and, as such, much less time with her best friend. The brunette kept to herself quite a bit at the best of times, so it was almost as though Jesse hadn't seen her around at all for a while.

"We can hang out tomorrow. I'll take you to lunch and we can watch whatever nerdy movies you want," she said quickly with a smile on her face. Jesse's face lit up slightly at her words.

"Do my ears deceive me, or did Beca Mitchell just offer to watch any number of movies with me?" He asked jokingly.

"Hey, don't question it or a might change my mind," Beca countered. He chuckled lightly.

"Thanks, Becs. Seriously," Jesse said. "I was starting to miss you a bit. Not that I'm not happy for you. You've definitely seemed a bit... brighter, since you've started hanging out with Chloe."

"What the hell does that mean? I've always been the paragon of happiness and sunshine and butterflies and rainbows," she responded with a smirk, earning a loud laugh from the boy.

"Whatever, weirdo," he said as he turned around to exit the small room. "I'll see you tomorrow, dude. Have fun with Chloe."

"Thanks..." Beca whispered as he left. Sighing, she sat down at her desk again and checked her phone. She noticed that she had a text from Chloe, and she promptly opened the message to read it.

"_You should come over :)_"It read. Beca stared at the message for a moment in slight confusion before typing out a reply.

"_Why? I'm already coming over tonight._"

"_Because Aubrey isn't here and I'm bored and lonely :(_ " Beca giggled slightly at the text, mostly at how ridiculous it was that even a textual pout from Chloe was enough to get her to do what she wanted. She shook her head as she sent her response.

"_Well I guess I'll be right over then_."

"_I know ;)_"

As she got dressed, Beca began to wonder if Chloe knew that she had such an effect on her, as it was beginning to seem as though she was doing this on purpose. She sighed, realizing she didn't really care either way, for some reason. If she honestly thought about it, she didn't know why she went so out of her way to make the girl happy, or why she let her get away with so much that she wouldn't tolerate from others, namely all of the hugging and hand-holding and arm-linking. Something about the ginger made Beca's heart beat a little faster when she was around, and that was saying quite a lot for a girl like her, who could control her emotional reactions more readily than most. The feeling was foreign to her, and, as frightening as it was, Beca had to admit she kind of liked it. So, when she was dressed in a relatively tight, dark blue top and black skinny jeans, having applied her dark eyeliner and placed her 'ear monstrosities,' as Aubrey had come to call them, into their proper locations, she left her dorm to head towards Chloe's apartment.

It was no more than ten minutes after Chloe had texted Beca that the senior heard a knock on her apartment door, and she got up from the couch, where she had been reading, to go answer it. She peered out through the looking-hole to see Beca standing outside, which surprised her, considering she had no vehicle, and she was quite certain that the brunette had not been dressed and ready to leave when she texted her. It hadn't exactly taken the redhead long to pick up on Beca's sleeping habits, and she knew the girl often could sleep well past the morning and sometimes even through lunch. Plus, she had no car. She figured, perhaps, that she had again borrowed Jesse's, as she always did when they went out.

"Hey, Beca!" Chloe said with a bright smile as she opened the door, brushing off the thoughts of Beca's swiftness before pulling her into a hug. Once released from the embrace, the shorter girl returned her smile as she stepped into the apartment and followed Chloe into the living room.

"So where's Aubrey?" Beca asked as they sat down in the living room.

"She went to hang out with Stacie again," Chloe replied. Beca's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Again?" She asked. "They've been hanging out a lot lately. You don't think...?" Chloe's eyes widened at Beca's question.

"What? Aubrey and Stacie? No way, Aubrey's like the straightest girl I know," she responded, earning a small chuckle from Beca.

"Whatever you say, dude," she said.

"You really think so?"

"All I'm saying is they've been spending more time together than you and I have since the SBT party. And that's saying something."

"True..." Chloe said, biting her lip as she contemplated Beca's point. She smiled mischievously as she looked at the short brunette, an idea rapidly forming in her mind. "Do you think we should... investigate?" Beca smirked.

"I thought you'd never ask," she replied.


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: I haven't much to say about this chapter, other than the fact that I'm nervous as hell to post it. I really do hope you all like it, as I don't think I've written something quite like this one before, and I hope I did it well and that it doesn't come off as too silly or sappy or anything to that effect. That being said, please let me know how I could do better. Romance has never ever ever been my strong suit, so everything I've been writing is a learning experience for me. And, as always, thank you so much to everyone for the support you've given. _

* * *

**Pure**

"_The moment you find the courage to give up your life for someone... would be the moment you understand love."_

Chapter 9: Her DJ, Unseen

It was early in the evening as a tall, blonde girl walked gracefully across the campus of Barden University. It was a rather unusual place for her to be, if anyone really thought about it, due to the fact that it was, in fact, a Friday, and most students would want to be anywhere but on campus at this point in time. Aubrey Posen, however, anything but a member of the majority of the student body, for quite a few reasons, which, at this point, are less important than the fact that she was, unbeknownst to her, being watched by a short, pale brunette. Deep blue eyes peered down at Aubrey's slim frame as she made her way to a destination privy only to herself; though, that would change soon enough, if Beca Mitchell and Chloe Beale had anything to say about it.

The pair had spent the week planning how they would discover the true nature of Aubrey's relationship with the sorority girl she had recently become acquainted with. Of course, it would have been too simple to outright ask Aubrey about Stacie. At Jesse's suggestion, they did it anyway, but received an answer that Beca instantly pegged as a lie.

"How do you know?" Chloe had asked innocently upon the shorter girl's revelation of Aubrey's falsehood. Beca had only shrugged in response, but she remained adamant that the blonde's declaration of a platonic relationship and nothing more with Stacie was anything but the truth. That was how, on this Friday night, she found herself moving stealthily across the trees of Barden's campus in pursuit of the truth of this ever so pressing matter. She had come alone, knowing that she could easily keep track of Aubrey whilst remaining invisible to her if Chloe were to stay behind. Beca waited quietly for Aubrey to move a safe distance away before leaping at an impossible speed to the next tree, her movements unseen to even the most observant human eye. This, of course, lead to another reason for the singularity of the operation: keeping this ability, one of many, a secret from the redhead.

It wasn't as though Chloe had not, at this point, witnessed incredible acts of skill, poise, and strength from the little DJ, with her performance at the carnival and defense of Chloe at the frat party being the prime examples. However, they had been surrounded in enough mystery, with many details missing, that the redhead did not dwell on them for any significant period of time, and thus, failed to realize just how impressive Beca's actions were. She sighed. The brunette hated having to hide this side of her from Chloe, but she was certain that if the redhead knew the truth, she would no longer seek her company so readily, if at all. Still, she would do what she could.

"Come in Stark, this is Red, do you copy? What's the current status of the target? Over," Chloe's voice emanated brightly from the headphones in Beca's ear. She rolled her eyes at the ridiculousness of Chloe's militaristic jargon, but smiled in spite of herself. It was, in a strange way, rather cute. Plus, she had gotten to pick her own code name, so there was another piece of silver lining. Stark, in this case, was a twofold reference: one to House Stark from A Song of Ice and Fire, currently Beca's favorite series of books, as well as to Tony Stark, her favorite Avenger. The brunette had also insisted that, if there were to be code names involved, that Chloe's be Red, an allusion to the bright color of her hair, which she had accepted with a beaming grin.

"Are you going to talk like this all night?" Beca jokingly whispered into the microphone of her headphones, which were inserted into the phone in her pocket. She dared not speak at full volume, lest she be heard by Aubrey.

"Aww, come on, Beca. If we're going to be spies, we need to talk like them!" Chloe insisted. Beca chuckled quietly.

"Whatever you say, Red," she said with a smile.

"So what's the sitch?" Chloe asked. Beca covered her face with her palm and groaned inwardly as the words reached her ears.

"Really? We're doing this now?"

"Hey, Kim Possible is awesome. Plus, she's a ginger too, so it fits."

"Fair enough," Beca replied, conceding the point before jumping silently to the ground. There were no viable trees along the next part of her path, so she opted to walk at a safe distance, careful to have a hiding spot in mind should Aubrey decide to turn around. "She's definitely heading to Stacie's sorority house. And I'm going to need radio silence for a bit, there's a lot less options for hiding at the moment."

"Affirmative, Stark. Over and out," Chloe said, causing Beca to shake her head and laugh quietly. If nothing else, at least the redhead was having fun with this.

While Beca followed Aubrey, Chloe was seated in Jesse's car, along with Jesse himself, whom Beca had chosen to include in the operation due to the fact that they needed his vehicle, which he would not likely be willing to let Chloe drive simply by nature of not knowing her well, along with it being a way to spend more time with him, as she still regretted having neglected him in favor of spending time with Chloe.

"What'd she say?" Jesse asked from the driver's seat.

"That Bree is definitely headed toward's Stacie's place," she replied. Knowing it would be some time before Beca called back, she decided now would be a good time to conduct her own investigation, with the brunette being the subject. "So... how long have you known Beca?" Jesse turned to look at Chloe with a small grin on his face, knowing exactly where this conversation was going.

"For a long time. Since we were kids," he answered.

"She mentioned you had asked her out a lot in high school," Chloe stated, earning a small laugh from the boy.

"I did. More than a lot, actually. And I wasn't the only one," Jesse said. "I guess the younger me couldn't take a hint. Though I suppose you can't really blame me, can you?" He looked at the redhead with a smirk.

"I- I don't know what you mean," Chloe said, her face quickly turning red, which did not go unnoticed by Jesse.

"Oh, I think you do," he responded. Chloe looked out of the window of the car, not wanting him to see just how red she was. He sighed and placed his forearms on the steering wheel, leaning forward slightly. "She likes you a lot, you know." Chloe whipped her head around to look at the boy.

"What?" Her heart skipped a beat. As much as Jesse's words should have thrilled her, she feared that it might be too good to be true, when so many had come before her and failed to garner any attention from the brunette.

"She likes you," Jesse stated as though it were common knowledge. "I've never seen her as happy as she's been since she met you. Every time she talks about you or gets a text from you or really anything involving you comes up, her face just lights up. And Beca doesn't like just anyone. Hell, sometimes I wonder if she even likes me." Chloe studied Jesse's expression intently as he spoke. He smiled, but it wasn't really the smile of someone who was truly joyful.

"And you love her, don't you?" Chloe asked, ever the perceptive one. He laughed again.

"It doesn't matter," he said ruefully. "I'm her best friend and that's the end of it."

"I'm so sorry, Jesse. I can't imagine how that must feel."

"Oh, don't worry about it. I'm used to it. Besides, if I could see her be happy, that would be enough. And you make her happy, so please, don't worry about me."

Chloe had never felt such a strange combination of joy and sorrow before. While the news that Beca liked her, maybe more than as a friend, she hoped, had absolutely elated her, her heart simultaneously broke for Jesse.

"You really are a good person, Jesse," Chloe said. "You're definitely a lot stronger and nicer than I am. I don't know that I could handle that." Jesse grinned.

"I bet you could for the right person," he said. His gaze met Chloe's and they sat in silence for a moment. The silence was soon ended by the buzzing of Chloe's phone, indicating that she was getting a call from Beca. She quickly answered it and put it on speaker.

"What's up?" She asked into the phone, forgoing the silliness of the 'spy talk' in lieu of the seriousness of the conversation she had just had with Jesse.

"Aubrey and Stacie are leaving. I think I heard them talking about going to some restaurant downtown," Beca's voice said through the phone. Jesse and Chloe looked at each other, raising their eyebrows.

"Oh really?" Jesse asked. "That still doesn't really prove anything."

"I know that, dude," Beca huffed. "But it does explain why she was dressed up. They're walking to the parking lot of the sorority house. I assume they intend to take Stacie's car."

"Damn," Chloe cursed. They had parked in the same lot as Aubrey, hoping to be able to follow her if she and Stacie decided to leave campus. This new development had thrown the proverbial wrench into their plan. "So what do we do now?"

"If they're heading downtown, they'll be leaving on University Boulevard. Go wait in the parking lot of the Mexican restaurant that's on the corner just off campus, I'll meet you guys there," Beca said before hanging up. Chloe looked at the phone in bewilderment.

"How is she going to make it there in time on foot?" She asked, looking at the brunette boy who was now putting the keys into the ignition of the small car.

"If Beca says she'll be there, then she'll be there. I don't know how she does it, but she always gets to where she wants to be," Jesse stated.

"Was she like the star of the track team in high school?" Chloe asked jokingly.

"Nope. Beca wasn't really into sports," the boy replied nonchalantly as he started the engine. Chloe frowned in confusion and remained silent as Jesse drove them to meet the little brunette.

True to her word, Beca was waiting for them when they arrived, leaning casually against the side of the building. She walked swiftly over to the black vehicle, stopping next to the driver's door and knocking on the window.

"Let me drive," Beca ordered as Jesse lowered the window.

"Yes sir," Jesse complied teasingly, giving a mock salute, earning an eye roll from the girl, before stepping out of the driver's seat and into the back of the car. Beca quickly hopped into the driver's seat and started the car before immediately pulling out onto the road.

"They passed by here two minutes ago. We need to catch up," she explained before Chloe or Jesse could ask why they weren't waiting.

"Did you find out the name of the place they're going to?" Chloe asked curiously. Beca shook her head.

"No. But I know Stacie drives a white BMW Z4, so they shouldn't be too hard to find," she said as they sped down the road, weaving between the traffic they came across.

_'That explains why Beca wanted to drive,'_ Chloe thought to herself as she braced herself against the side of the car to avoid being thrown too much by the quick and fluid movements of the vehicle, adding 'driving like a maniac' to the list of things Beca was inexplicably skilled at. Within a few minutes, Beca slowed the car to a more reasonable speed as their mark came into view.

"Nice car," Jesse commented.

"Jealous?" Beca joked.

"Hmm... maybe a bit," Jesse said with a chuckle. Beca kept their own vehicle at a respectable distance from Stacie's so as not to be spotted, for even though Stacie didn't know what Jesse's car looked like, Aubrey did. They followed the white vehicle into the heart of downtown Barden. As the density of traffic increased, so did the difficulty of keeping Stacie and Aubrey within sight whilst remaining hidden. Eventually though, the girls pulled up to a fairly upscale Italian restaurant. Stacie exited the driver's seat and opened Aubrey's door, extending her hand to help the blonde out of the car, before handing her keys to the valet and receiving a ticket. As Beca drove slowly by the two girls, the trio looked out of the car to see Stacie place a kiss on Aubrey's cheek, the blonde's face beaming in response. She took hold of the taller girl's hand as they made their way into the restaurant.

"No way..." Chloe whispered in amazement.

"Now, now, we still don't know for sure," Jesse began to say.

"Dude, Stacie drove Bree into town to take her to her favorite restaurant, she kissed her on the cheek, and they're holding hands. Not to mention the fact that they're both dressed gorgeously," Chloe said. "This is totes a date."

"Yea, I'm going to go with Chloe on this one. And I don't know the first thing about dates," Beca commented. Jesse nodded once, conceding the point.

"True. Since we have our answer, maybe we should give them some privacy?" Jesse suggested. Beca nodded in agreement.

"You're probably right. Let's go home," Chloe said. The girl was grinning widely for the rest of the drive back to campus. When they arrived, Beca parked the car outside of Jesse's dorm, suggesting that she and Chloe walk home so as not to trouble Jesse any more. He insisted that it would be no problem, but Beca was unwilling to take no for an answer at this point. He sighed and bid the girls goodnight as he made his way to his dorm room. As they began to make their way back to Chloe's apartment, the redhead, once again, linked her and Beca's arms. It had become so common at this point that the shorter girl didn't even flinch.

"So Aubrey and Stacie, huh?" Beca asked.

"I can see it," Chloe replied. "Even if I never expected her to be into girls. Although it does explain why she never liked any of the guys I set her up with." Beca raised her eyebrows as she looked at the ginger.

"You sure it wasn't just because you set her up with crappy dates?" She asked with a smirk, causing Chloe to playfully slap her shoulder.

"I did no such thing!" She defended with a smile. "I mean, they weren't perfect, but who is? And they we're always really nice guys."

"Whatever you say, dude."

"Seriously though, from what I can tell, Stacie is a lot more laid back than Aubrey. Maybe she can finally get her to relax instead of always being so uptight. And you know what they say: Opposites attract."

"Yea. They definitely looked really happy."

"That they did," Chloe admitted with a sigh. "Must be nice..."

"What do you mean?" Beca asked, stopping their progress to look Chloe in the eye.

"Well, you know, to finally find someone you really and truly connect with after having failed so many times before. Trust me, Aubrey wouldn't be going out with this girl if she wasn't something special," Chloe explained. She sighed again, looking away from the brunette. "I just... I've dated a lot of people, and I had a lot of fun, but I never really felt anything for them beyond a physical attraction."

"You've felt more than I ever have," Beca said quietly. "At least, up until now." Chloe looked back at the brunette, seeing once again the crack in her well built armor of confidence and sarcasm.

"Now it's my turn to ask what you mean," Chloe stated. Beca looked down, not really sure of what to say.

"I guess... well, I've just never felt the way I do about you about anyone. And I can't explain it. This is all so weird to me. It's like, when I'm around you, everything is... brighter, somehow. And I feel like all I want in the world is for you to be happy," she said, looking back up at the girl with a weak smile. She prayed that the girl didn't think she was being odd, as this was the one time she actually did care about what someone else thought of her. Chloe grinned.

"You know, there's a word for that, Beca," she said.

"Oh yea?" Beca asked, her signature smirk falling back into place. "And what word might that be?" Chloe paused for a moment. It had gotten cooler as the seasons moved further into Autumn. The breeze that rolled between them rustled the leaves of the trees surrounding them softly, the cold air sending shivers across the girls' bodies, though they both mistook this reaction for their own nervousness. Perhaps they were right, and it wasn't just the cold. Not that it mattered. For in that moment, Chloe found every ounce of courage she had ever possessed, before opening her mouth to speak the word that she had suspected she felt since Beca had saved her.

"Love," Chloe whispered before leaning in to gently place a kiss on Beca's lips.


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Yo! Sorry this one took quite a bit longer than the other chapters, but the last week had been pretty hectic. I had to take a final on Thursday and pretty much didn't do anything but play Dark Souls 2 for the rest of the night. Then I spent the entire weekend playing Yu-Gi-Oh! (I went undefeated in the tournament on Saturday, by the way. So yay me! Haha. Didn't pull anything good from my packs that I won though, so sad face there.) Also, I just HAD to finally catch up on season 4 of Game of Thrones. Anyway, I had a bit of trouble deciding how to go about getting the story to the next point that I had in mind, and I scrapped several attempts at starting this chapter after being dissatisfied with where it was going. I finally settled on this, and I think I'm pretty happy with it, so I hope you guys enjoy it. Bear in mind, though, that this chapter has had pretty minimal editing and error checking in comparison to previous chapters, mostly due to my desperation to finish it tonight, so I would implore you to be a bit more forgiving with mistakes on this one. And, as always, thank you to everyone who has given any measure of support to this story and I do genuinely hope you continue to enjoy reading it!_

* * *

**Pure**

"_Half my heart, a gift of purity,  
__Half my heart, a deadly curse.  
__Half will live in sweet obscurity,  
__Half will take me to my hearse."_

Chapter 10: Her DJ, Prepared

"Love, she says?" Gabriel said with a condescending scoff as he paced the small room. The walls were made of what appeared to be a pure white marble, the light from the window creating a rather brilliant glitter throughout the room. In the corner of the room sat Michael, his legs crossed and his eyes fixed on the book in his hands. He remained silent, doing his best to ignore the blonde angel stomping about his study. "If only the girl knew who, or what, she is dealing with."

"It doesn't matter," Michael replied calmly, turning to the next page in his book. He still gazed only at the words on the page before him. "I told you, Lady Rebecca is not your concern. Leave her alone." Gabriel rolled his eyes at Michael's use of the new name.

"She doesn't know what love is. She can never know what love is, no matter what this silly little girl tells her."

"I would say that her past actions contradict that quite heavily. Also, in her time spent as a human, it would be presumptuous to think she cannot have learned to feel that which is valued quite highly by most on Earth."

"Why are you so quick to defend her?" He asked angrily. Michael sighed as he closed the book and set it down in his lap.

"Perhaps it would be more prudent to ask why you are so eager to condemn her when she has done nothing but help us," he said in slight exasperation. His patience with the blonde angel was wearing rather thin as of late.

"Is that what you call leaving us and Raphael on the brink of death in the plains of Stygia? Help? Forgive me, Michael, but I don't quite see it that way," Gabriel responded sternly. Michael's golden eyes narrowed as he stared at Gabriel.

"She did what she had to do," Michael said before opening his book again. "And we're still around to see the result. That should be enough. We're done speaking of this. I don't want to hear any more about Lady Rebecca from you, nor do I want to have to hear from Raphael that you are still watching her. That will be all, Gabriel." Anger rose quickly in the blonde as he listened to Michael's words. He quickly turned on his heels and headed for the door. He wasted no time in ripping the door open before slamming it shut behind him rather loudly. Michael shook his head with a sigh before continuing to read his book.

Later, roughly two months by Earth's measure, as Heaven held a different and somewhat paradoxical view of time, though that need not be discussed, a certain redheaded senior of Barden University was pacing her own room, though, admittedly, her motivation for said repetitious movement stemmed from excitement, rather than frustration or anger. Her wide smile ran seemingly from ear to ear when she heard a knock on the door of the apartment, and she wasted no time in answering it. She dashed across the apartment, past an eye-rolling blonde girl who was seated on the couch next to an amused, tall brunette, and swiftly threw open the door to greet the short, pierced, and tattooed brunette who stood outside.

"Hey," Beca began to say before she was cut off by the weight of the jubilant redhead crashing into her and wrapping her arms around her small frame. Realistically, by now, she should have expected such a greeting from Chloe, but, even after being so warmly and enthusiastically embraced by the sunny girl constantly for the past two months, she still had yet to get used to it. Despite this, the shorter girl never tired of the ginger's embrace. She smiled as Chloe pulled her head back slightly, her arms still draped over her shoulder's, and placed a warm kiss on her left cheek.

"Hey, sweetie," Chloe said brightly.

"Hey," Beca replied again, rather stupidly, she thought as the word escaped her lips. Chloe grinned at her girlfriend and proceeded to take her by the hand and pull her into the apartment. As they entered, Beca looked into the living room to see Stacie practically in Aubrey's lap on the couch, whispering something into her ear that Beca was sure she would rather not be privy to, if the blush on the blonde's face was anything to go on. She rolled her eyes as she took in the sight of the two, who had been quick to acknowledge their relationship when Beca and Chloe had questioned them about it after conducting their investigation. Taking her eyes off of the two lovebirds in the living room, Beca turned to Chloe to speak again. "Do you mind if I use your shower before we go?"

"Of course not, babe," Chloe replied. Beca nodded with a small grin and slightly tightened her grip on the bag she held in her right hand before making her way to Chloe's room. The redhead's gaze was trained on Beca as she walked away and she let out a sigh of contentment as she once again thought of the fact that she could call the brunette hers. The thought, at first, almost seemed too good to be true. In Chloe's mind, Beca was infinitely more interesting and extraordinary and beautiful than her, so why did she deserve her attention at all? However, with every passing moment in the presence of the brunette, Chloe became more and more accepting of the fact that what she had previously come to believe to be extremely improbable if not impossible had happened; that is, that Beca Mitchell had fallen in love with her. And she had fallen in kind.

"You're staring," Stacie commented from her seat in Aubrey's lap. "I mean, I know she has a nice ass and all, but you're practically drooling over there." This was followed by a light slap on her leg from the blonde.

"You think Beca has a nice ass?" She asked accusingly. Stacie turned back to her own girlfriend with a seductive smirk on her face.

"Yea," she purred. "But nowhere near as nice as yours." She then planted a kiss square on Aubrey's lips, giving her no time to respond either in protest or approval before attacking her tongue with her own.

"Ugh, get a room," Chloe said as she took a seat in the recliner next to the couch. Chloe liked Stacie. Really, she did. She held exceedingly high standards for anyone the blonde dated, the over protective best friend ever present within her, and she loved that the sorority girl had made Aubrey happier than any guy she had dated previously. However, while Chloe herself was never one to shy away from public displays of affection, she wasn't particularly interested in watching the couple's tongue war, even if she would have had no problem initiating such an act with Beca in front of them. It was slightly hypocritical, she knew, but at least she was honest about that fact, and her actions usually sent Beca into an impossibly adorable state of blushing, which Chloe simply could not stop herself from wanting to see.

"Chloe, I know that you, of all people, did not just say that to us," Aubrey quickly countered as she broke away from the assault of Stacie's lips upon her own. "How many times have I had to call you and Beca out for practically getting it on during our movie nights?" Chloe opened her mouth in attempt to issue her own retort, but thought better of it when she caught the look of skepticism on both girls' faces.

"Don't worry, at least you couldn't have caught us actually getting it on," Chloe muttered with a sigh, causing Aubrey's eyes to widen in disbelief.

"Really? You guys still haven't?" She asked, and Chloe shook her in reply. "Well, damn. I mean, considering how it seemed like you two were practically in love before you even started dating, I'm pretty surprised you guys still haven't gone there yet."

"Don't get me wrong, it's not for lack of trying on my part," Chloe commented with a chuckle. "She just... I don't know."

"Well," Stacie began. "Didn't you say that you're the first person she's ever even had any sort of romantic interest in?"

"According to Jesse, yes," Chloe responded curiously.

"So obviously she's not exactly... experienced. Perhaps she isn't quite clear on what you want."

"I've been pretty obvious."

"Well, if she does know, then maybe she just isn't ready for that yet," Stacie mused. "Give her some time, and maybe actually talk to her about it. You'd be surprised how much easier it makes things if you're just honest with each other about it. Trust me, I've got plenty of experience with first timers." She smirked knowingly at Aubrey, causing the blonde's face to be overtaken by a furious shade of red.

"You are absolutely incorrigible," Aubrey said sternly, trying to regain her composure while Chloe laughed at her reaction.

"I don't know the meaning of the word," Stacie replied in a near whisper into Aubrey's ear, sending a wave of shivers down her body, which did nothing to help clear the red from her cheeks.

"Thanks, Stacie," Chloe said when she had her laughter under control. "You're probably right."

"I'm right more often than most people tend to think," Stacie commented. It was true. Many a student on the campus of Barden University who had come into contact with the brunette assumed, unfairly, that she was less inclined to matters of intellect and driven only by lust. True, she was a passionate girl with a reputation for a high sex drive, but she was not by any means without intelligence. It came as quite a shock to many to discover she had graduated as the Valedictorian of her high school with near perfect SAT and ACT scores and was now majoring in Physics, and, thus far, had yet to score lower than ninety percent on any exam. Perhaps it should have been insulting that they were so surprised to learn this about her, but Stacie took nothing but pride in shattered expectations. This was simply one more thing that, in Chloe's mind, made her so perfect for Aubrey. She chuckled as she rose from her seat.

"Beca will probably be out of the shower soon so I'm going to go finish getting ready," she stated as she headed for her room. "And thanks again for the advice."

"No problem," Stacie replied.

Chloe entered her room and, seeing the door to the bathroom still closed and hearing the water still running, stripped off her clothes and strode across the room to her closet clad only in her undergarments. She promptly retrieved the blouse and pants she intended to wear, having already given her outfit more than adequate thought. The redhead was efficient in her donning of the clothes, and, hearing that the shower water was no longer running, she headed towards the bathroom so that she could apply her makeup. As she opened the door, she was met with what was, to that day, the most stunning sight she had ever seen.

Beca stood on the opposite side of the bathroom, facing the wall away from the door. Her hair was still damp, as she had only recently vacated the shower, and she was completely bare save for her underwear and a bra that she had just finished affixing to her body. Chloe looked at the shorter girl in awe as she took in the sight of the exposed tattoos along with the taut muscles that ran down her back and shoulders. Beca looked over her shoulder to see a dumbstruck Chloe and smirked.

"Dude, I'm still getting dressed," she said. Chloe, feeling a bit guilty for having walked in on the short brunette, quickly covered her eyes, despite wanting nothing more than to continue to look upon the breathtaking sight that was Beca Mitchell.

"Sorry!" Chloe said, her voice noticeably higher in pitch than usual. "I was just going to put my makeup on, I thought you'd be dressed by now." The ginger heard the patter of feet across the tile floor and noticed that something rather warm was being wrapped around her, and she moved her hands and opened her eyes to find Beca's face mere inches from her own.

"Hey, it's okay," she said, still smirking, before kissing the redhead fiercely. Chloe moaned as Beca's lips made contact with hers, and she quickly wrapped her arms around the shorter girl, her fingers weaving through her brunette locks as they kissed. After some time, which was incalculable to the redhead, the two pulled apart slowly, smiling contently at each other.

"Damn. I need to walk in on you getting out of the shower more often," Chloe said.

"I guess so," Beca replied, her smirk still in place. At this point, Chloe tried to initiate another kiss, but her attempt was shot down by the brunette. "Hey now, I need to finish getting ready. I don't want to be late for my first gig at this club."

"You're no fun," Chloe said, sticking her tongue out. Beca simply rolled her eyes in response before walking past the redhead. It took less than another twenty minutes for Beca to dry her hair and dress herself in her chosen outfit for the night: a black button down shirt, the sleeves of which were rolled up to expose her forearms, a dark gray tie, a tight fitting pair of dark slacks, and black boots. Her nails were painted their usual black hue, and her face was decorated with dark eyeliner and eyeshadow. The dark colors of her attire were a direct contrast to Chloe's purple blouse and jeans, which was, in her mind, rather fitting. Next to her, Chloe seemed to shine even more brightly, and Beca could swear she nearly lost herself in the redhead's radiance.

"You're so beautiful," Beca commented quietly. Chloe's heart melted at the compliment, and she found herself smiling more widely than she though possible.

"So are you," she responded before placing a soft kiss on Beca's lips. They made their way out of Chloe's room and towards the living room of the apartment.

"You ready?" Chloe called out to Stacie and Aubrey as they approached the two who didn't appear to have moved from the couch.

"As ready as we'll ever be," Aubrey said as she stood.

"Don't sound so enthusiastic," Beca replied sardonically, earning a chuckle from the blonde.

"I'll do my best," Aubrey responded in equal measure of sarcasm. Beca, for what would not be the last time, rolled her eyes as the four girls exited the apartment.


	11. Chapter 11

_A/n: So... yea, I wrote this one pretty quickly. I'm not having as much time to devote to writing as I would like as of late, so I'm trying to get as much done as I can when I do get a chance to work on this. I'm really uneasy about the quality of this one, as it is my first attempt to write any real action, which, for me, it would seem, is a bit more difficult than I had originally imagined it would be. Or maybe that's just because I'm kind of rushing myself. Either way, do please let me know what you think of this one, and thank you so much to anyone who has read, followed, favorited, or reviewed the story. I hope you continue to enjoy reading it. _

* * *

**Pure**

"_Now is our chance  
__to breathe without tyranny,  
__released from the blinding of false light."_

Chapter 11: Her DJ, Able

"Oh my God! You are amazing, Beca!" Chloe exclaimed for what Aubrey was sure was the thousandth time that night as the little brunette zipped her laptop bag closed. Beca, for her part, responded only by shaking her head with a small, sheepish smile. She never was terribly adept at taking compliments, which Chloe had been ever so generous with giving her throughout the evening. One could hardly blame the redhead. On this particular Saturday night, the girls had gone to a somewhat upscale nightclub in downtown Atlanta where Beca would be acting as the DJ for the night. She had invited Jesse as well, as he had, to this day gone to every single party or other small gig that the little brunette had ever taken, but, on this evening, he was unable to escape from his work at the small campus radio station. He had declined the invitation regretfully, but Beca assured him that it was perfectly all right and that he need not worry about it. While she wasn't by any means happy with her best friend's absence, she didn't let it deter her from performing to the best of her ability, which was nothing short of sheer brilliance to Chloe. The older girl, along with Stacie and Aubrey, had spent the better part of the night on the dance floor, with Chloe occasionally going up to the DJ booth to bring Beca endless streams of compliments and kisses, and sometimes a bottle of water when she requested it. Over the next few hours Chloe successfully chased away all of Beca's sadness that Jesse was unable to come see her at what she considered to be her first real gig, in addition to being entranced by the shorter girl's musical prowess. Now, it was nearing 2:00 in the morning, the club was closing, and Beca was packing up her equipment as the girls prepared to leave. "Seriously. You're incredible."

"It isn't all that impressive," Beca replied quietly as she slung the laptop bag over her shoulder. The only thing she had brought was the laptop and her headphones, opting to use mostly the club's equipment, which was much more sophisticated, and expensive, than her own. There was also the fact that it would have been rather a lot of trouble to move it all anyway. "But thanks." Chloe frowned slightly. She never understood why Beca always felt the need to downplay her abilities like that. Humility was one thing, and Chloe like that about the brunette, but she wanted the girl to understand that she really was amazing in her eyes. She opened to her mouth to say something about it, but Stacie beat her to the punch.

"You shouldn't put yourself down like that," she chided as the girls began to walk towards the exit. "Take the compliment and be happy that your girlfriend thinks so highly of you." Beca chuckled and smirked as she listened to Stacie's words.

"My bad," she said with a quiet laugh. "I'm just not very good at taking compliments. I don't usually get very many."

"That's probably only because your ear monstrosities and brusque demeanor discourage people from trying to talk to you," Aubrey teased.

"Well, I guess that was the point," Beca said with a laugh. "I never really wanted people to talk to me. Though it didn't stop this one." Beca wrapped her right arm around Chloe's waist as they walked, pulling her close to her side, partially to indicate that it was her to whom she was referring, but mostly because she loved the feeling of Chloe's body pressed against her own.

"You're damn right, it didn't," Chloe said with a confident smirk. "I thought the ear monstrosities were sexy anyway."

"I agree," Stacie piped up, earning a confused glare from the blonde girl whose hand she held as they walked. "Maybe you should get an ear spike, babe."

"Absolutely not," Aubrey replied seriously, earning a few giggles from Chloe and Stacie, and causing Beca to erupt into laughter.

"Dude!" She said, her laughter nearing hysterics. "I would pay to see that."

"Why do I even hang out with you people?" Aubrey said with a sigh, covering her face with the palm of her hand.

"Because you love us," Chloe said sweetly.

"The reason for that, I cannot fathom at the moment," Aubrey replied with resignation, earning a few more chuckles from the other girls as they made their way into the parking garage where Chloe's car was located. "Why exactly did we park in here, again? Parking garages are one of the most common places for crimes to occur, especially this late at night."

"Well, did you see anywhere else to park?" Beca asked. "Besides, we'll be fine." Aubrey eyed the shorter girl with a bit of skepticism before picking up her pace slightly, not feeling particularly comforted by Beca's words. When they reached the small, red sedan, Stacie opened the rear door for Aubrey before sliding into the backseat next to her, while Chloe held open the passenger's side door for Beca. The short brunette was about to step into the car when she suddenly cocked her head back, whipping around to see three figures approaching the car from behind. Her eyes narrowed.

"Get in the car," she softly ordered Chloe as she dropped her laptop into the floor of the vehicle.

"Babe?" Chloe asked. "Is everything all right?"

"Just do it," Beca demanded. Hearing the seriousness of Beca's voice, Chloe quickly complied and jumped into the passenger's seat.

"Beca's not driving, is she?" Aubrey asked nervously as Chloe closed the door, having heard the tale of how Beca had driven on the night they followed her and Stacie on their date.

"I don't know, she just told me to get in the car," Chloe said as she turned around to peer out of the rear window of her vehicle. As she did she saw Beca standing with the car to her left, facing three people she most certainly did not recognize. "What the hell?" Aubrey and Stacie quickly turned around to look as well, though they held no more knowledge of the situation than Chloe.

"Can I help you?" Beca asked calmly as the three figures stopped in front of her. She stood straight with her hands in her pockets, much more relaxed than anyone onlookers might assume. The trio of girls in the car looked on uneasily.

"That's a nice car you've got there," the shorter of the three said in a squeaky, nasal voice. He stepped forward into the light to reveal a somewhat skinny frame, his greasy black hair falling messily over his eyes.

"It is. It's not mine though," Beca replied.

"You're right, it isn't," came a female voice from Beca's right. Her eyes shifted to see that one of the three was moving slowly around her. She was of slightly taller stature than Beca, her hair cut exceptionally short. She wore a tank top, exposing impressive muscle mass on her arms. "Not anymore anyway. Hand over the keys and we won't hurt you or your friends."

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that," Beca stated, not moving from her position as the three encircled her. At this point, Chloe opened the door of the car and stepped out, not willing to see the brunette put herself in danger.

"Beca, please, it's fine!" She called out, her voice shaking with fear. "Just let them take it, it's not worth us getting hurt over." Beca looked over at her and smiled.

"I know it's not. But we'll be fine. Trust me," she said softly. Chloe looked at Beca nervously, hear heart beating at an incredible speed. All logic told her that this was wrong, but something about the look on Beca's face convinced her otherwise. She decided she would trust Beca, and quickly retreated back into her vehicle.

"You should've listened to the ginger," said the final of the three attackers, a rather large man with a deep voice. "It would've made this a lot easier on you."

"If you say so," Beca responded with a smirk. The larger man looked at the shorter one, who nodded at him and the girl.

"Why in the hell is she so stubborn?" Aubrey yelled from inside the car. "She's going to get us killed!" Stacie pulled Aubrey close to herself, holding her tightly to comfort the now frantic blonde. The man and woman simultaneously lunged at Beca, and Chloe drew in a sharp breath, unable to look away from the scene. However, just as the two were about to reach Beca, the short girl gracefully danced out of the way.

"Too slow," she said with a smirk, and Chloe's eyes went wide. The two looked at Beca in rage before the larger man threw a vicious punch in her direction. Beca ducked beneath his fist and dropped low to the ground. She extended her leg and brought it around in a circle, sweeping the man's legs out from under him. Without their support, he fell instantly to the concrete, grunting as his head made contact with the ground. Wasting no time, Beca delivered a quick strike to his head, rendering him unconscious. The girl looked on in shock, and, before she could react, Beca sprang in her direction, slamming her fist into the woman's stomach with a sickening crunch. She cried out as she felt her ribs crack and fell to her knees while clutching the point of injury. Seeing that two of the three assailants were suitably incapacitated, she turned her attention to the third man. When she looked at him, a glint of light caught her eye, and she instantly froze.

_"Damn it,"_ she thought as she saw the small, silver pistol in his hand.

"I really didn't want to have to resort to this," the man said with a sigh. His free hand moved up to his face to push his bangs out of the way of his eyes. "But it looks like you aren't going to give me much of a choice." Chloe's eyes moved from Beca towards the skinny man as he spoke, and a scream escaped her lips as she saw the gun. She threw open the door of the car and stepped out.

"Chloe! What are you doing?" Stacie called out as she did. The ginger ignored her words. She reached into her purse and pulled the keys to her car out of it before hurling them in the direction of the man with the gun. "Take it! Please, just take it and leave us alone!" The man chuckled as the keys hit bounced onto the concrete at his feet, the metal clanging together softly in the otherwise silent night. He began to bend down to pick them up slowly, not taking his eyes nor the aim of his weapon off of the short, brunette girl. Beca turned her head to look at her girlfriend.

"Chloe..." she said softly.

"Beca, please! I don't want you to get hurt. It's fine, really! It's just a stupid car. It's not worth your life! Now come on, let's get out of here!" She screamed with tears streaming down her cheeks. Beca was, admittedly, a bit taken aback by the fear in Chloe's eyes. And why shouldn't she be afraid? She didn't know that the three were no threat in Beca's presence. She had been doing her best to hide that fact. However, after seeing not only Chloe's fear, but the love and concern she held for her, Beca knew that she was no longer worried about anything but the redhead's safety. She smiled.

"I love you, Chloe Beale," she said quietly.

"Beca...?"

Beca moved at a blinding, near unobservable speed. To Chloe, she seemed to have simply disappeared into thin air before appearing in front of the man who was just about to pick up the keys to Chloe's car. In a flurry of fluid motion, the little DJ kicked the gun out of the man's hand before placing her palm directly on his stubble and acne covered face. She pressed forward, the force and speed of her push moving carrying him several feet backwards. She moved with him, her hand not losing its grip until she violently slammed his head into the concrete column behind him. He didn't even feel his nose breaking before the force of the blow knocked him unconscious. Chloe stared at the girl in awe as she let the man fall to the ground. She turned around and smiled again at Chloe.

"See? I told you, nothing to worry about," Beca said. The redhead stood, unable to move or react. When she finally realized what had happened, she sobbed and ran towards the shorter girl. She wrapped her arms tightly around Beca, as though if she let go she might disappear. "Hey, babe, everything's all right."

"Don't you ever scare me like that again, Beca Mitchell!" She yelled, her voice nearly cracking with each word. Beca smiled again and placed her own arms around the redhead, rubbing her back to comfort her.

"Hey, it's okay," she said. "As long as I'm around, you never have to worry about anything." Chloe pulled back slightly, her tear-filled gaze meeting Beca's. Again, she had the strange feeling that, against all logic and reason, she could trust what Beca was saying. She smiled slightly before nuzzling her face back into Beca's neck. After a few moments of silence, she finally spoke up again.

"How did you do that anyway? Are you a ninja or something?" She asked softly. Beca smirked.

"No," she replied. "I'm just one hell of a DJ."


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: Y'all. Fate/Zero is absolutely amazing and you should all go watch it now. Seriously. Anyway... as you may imagine, I'm posting this after just having marathon'ed through the second half of Fate/Zero, which I think might be one of my new favorite anime. Saber is my girl, dude. She's a boss. As for this chapter, which I'm sure you guys are more concerned with anyway, I am, once again, a bit nervous on the execution of this one. I wrote it rather quickly, knowing that tomorrow I likely will have no time at all to write and being pretty sure that I'll be hurting for time to write throughout the week. That being said, please let me know what you think, how it could be improved, etc... and thank you so much to all who have continued to support this story. I still think it's awesome that anyone this concept at all, let alone the actual story. I hope you continue to enjoy it. :)_

* * *

**Pure**

"_Shielding my eyes from the light,  
__I did away with all my hesitation.  
__What I wanted to give you was the future."_

Chapter 12: Her DJ, Drifting

_The air was still as a petite, brunette girl stood in front of the quaint, two-story house. She looked around, observing her surroundings. She recognized this place, and yet, could not recall the name of it. Houses not unlike the one she stood before stretched endlessly down the road, each lined up neatly, with perfectly green grass in each lawn. There were no children playing in the yards, no men and women coming and going. No cars being driven, no bikes being ridden. Only silence permeated the neighborhood. It didn't look like the ghost town that the girl observed it to be. It appeared as though each house had not gone a day without an occupant to take care of it. And yet, there was no one. She focused on the house before her. Why did she recognize it? She shook her head and decided she would simply have to investigate._

_ She stepped up to the front door nervously, giving it a quiet knock. No answer. She knocked again, this time, a bit harder. To her surprise, the door swung open slowly, __though no one was present to greet her. She placed a foot carefully over the threshold, waiting for any sign that she should step back and end her intrusion. None came. She walked quietly through the foyer, her steps making only the most subtle of sounds on the hardwood floor. As she made her way into the hallway which she assumed led to the living room, something caught her eye. She turned her head to see a large portrait of a family, presumably the one which occupied this home. There were three people contained within the bronze frame. A tall man with light brown hair and hazel eyes, smiling wide to reveal a set of pure white teeth. To his right, with his arm around her shoulder, sat a brunette woman. Her smile was softer, but her face radiated even more happiness than the man. In her lap sat a small, pale skinned girl with the same brunette hair and soft features of the woman, though she lacked the smile of her parents. Indeed, she looked almost bored, as though the idea of being photographed was beneath her. The girl chuckled._

_ It was as though she was looking into a mirror._

_ Beca sighed as she took in the sight of her family. She smiled fondly at the memories she held of them, at the memories contained in this house. Slowly and carefully, she ran her hand along the portrait, pausing as her fingers reached the face of her mother. _

_ But why was she here?_

_ It was then that a woman's scream erupted from the inner part of the house. It was a scream that was all too familiar to Beca, and her heart sank as she rushed into the living room, praying she would not see what she knew would be waiting for her. Sadly, though she wished with all her heart that it would be different, her fears were confirmed._

_ There, in the central room of the house, __a man stood with his arm extended straight out from his body, holding a small revolver in his hand. The weapon was aimed at a woman cowering in the corner of the room. It was the woman in the portrait. Beca scarcely had time to register what was happening before she saw his index finger begin to squeeze the trigger. She reacted with inhuman speed, hurling herself towards the assailant. Time seemed to come to a halt for the briefest of moments before the gunshot rang out, mere milliseconds after which Beca's body slammed into the man, tackling him to the floor. She quickly lifted herself off of him and delivered a brutal punch to his jaw, the force of which nearly snapped his neck and sent several off his teeth clattering across the floor. The pain in his broken jaw alone was enough to send him into a shock, rendering him inert. _

_ Beca looked over at the woman, hoping against all odds that the shot had missed. Her heart sank when she saw the blood beginning to soak through her shirt. She rushed over and knelt down next to her, cradling her crumpled form in her arms._

_ "Hey, mom," Beca choked out as she held the woman. Tears stung at her eyes. Why did this happen? Someone as sweet and innocent and pure as her mother didn't deserve this. _

_ "Hey, Becs," the woman said softly. Her deep blue eyes gazed up to meet Beca's as she weakly reached a hand up to cup her face. A smile crept across her face as she took in her daughter's appearance._

_ "I'm so sorry. I could've saved you. I should've saved you," Beca said regretfully. The woman chuckled quietly at her words._

_ "You have nothing to apologize for," the woman replied, causing Beca to release what was surely the most pitiful sound that her tiny body had ever produced. "Hey, sweetie, it's okay. Really." She barely finished her sentence before she began to cough violently._

_ "I love you, mom," Beca said as she held her mother tightly against herself, not caring for the blood now staining her clothes. Tears were streaming down her face._

_ "I love you too, Becs. You be a good girl, okay?" The woman said calmly. Beca could only nod in response; all of her words were choked back in her attempt to not break down.__ She felt powerless as she watched the light fade from her eyes. Beca began to shake, feelings of rage and sorrow overtaking her body as everything around her began to distort, and all conscious thought left her as the world around her began to fade to black. _

Beca shot upwards, sitting up in the bed. Her breath was heavy and ragged, a bead of sweat running down her brow. She blinked, confusion beginning to fill her mind. She looked around and realized that she was not in her dorm room. It was then that she noticed something else peculiar about her situation: that is, a certain redhead slumbering peacefully on her side, her right arm now in Beca's lap, as it had been previously draped over her stomach until she awoke so violently. Then it finally came back to her as the memories of the previous night flooded her mind. The gig at the club, the attempted grand theft auto, and Chloe's invitation for Beca to stay the night.

After they had finally returned to the girls' apartment at a miserably late hour, due to their having to wait for the police to arrive, take their statements, and haul the attempted car thieves off to jail, Chloe had suggested that Beca and Stacie simply stay over for the night. Aubrey agreed with Chloe, and Stacie quickly acquiesced to the girls' request, clearly quite eager to get into Aubrey's bed. Her enthusiasm only caused the blonde to roll her eyes, though internally she found it rather endearing. Beca, on the other hand, was a bit less inclined to share her sleeping space with the redhead. She nervously attempted to decline, saying she didn't want to trouble her or intrude in their apartment, but, Chloe, in her typical fashion, refused to take no for an answer. Still, when Beca finally lay her head down on the soft pillows of Chloe's bed, any intent to leave or continue her complaining evaporated.

The bed was soft and Chloe's sweet scent lingered on the sheets. Beca sighed rather happily before the ginger plopped down beside her, threw her arm over her, and pulled her close to herself. Initially, Beca stiffened at the contact, but, feeling Chloe's warm arms wrapped around her, she soon relaxed into the embrace. It was then that Chloe had pressed a gentle kiss to Beca's temple before bidding her goodnight.

"Goodnight, Chloe," Beca whispered as she began to drift off to sleep with a smile plastered across her face.

Chloe stirred as she felt her girlfriend no longer lay peacefully next to her. Her eyes fluttered open slowly as she took in the sight of Beca, whose breathing was strangely heavy, her tank top sticking to her sweaty skin.

"Hey, Beca, are you all right?" She asked, concern evident in her voice. It was still dark outside, so she figured they had only been sleeping for a couple of hours.

"I'm fine," Beca said as she placed a hand to her head, grimacing slightly at the ache she felt there. "Just had a bit of a nightmare."

"What was it about?"

"It's nothing, Chloe. Go back to sleep," Beca responded before laying back down with a sigh. Chloe frowned as she looked at the shorter girl.

"Beca, if you don't want to tell me, I respect that, but just know I'm always here for you if you need me," the redhead said. Beca turned to look at her and smiled when she saw the sincerity in her expression. Truly, what had she done to deserve the love of someone as kind as Chloe, she thought.

"I know," Beca replied. "It was only just a dream. But..." Chloe cocked her head back as Beca trailed off, waiting for her to continue speaking. "Never mind, it's silly. Just go back to sleep."

"No, Beca, tell me," Chloe pleaded. "You don't have to be embarrassed around me, if that's what you're worried about." Beca chuckled.

"I don't know. It's not like I know of any solution," she said with a resigned sigh. "I just always have trouble going back to sleep after a bad dream, so I usually just stay up and make mixes or something. And I don't have any of my equipment here so..." Chloe bit her lip, thinking of a way to soothe the DJ. She had already received so much from her and she desperately wanted to be able to help her in return. Then, an idea came to her. It was so simple she wondered why it had taken any measure of thought to come up with at all.

"_Goodnight, my angel, time to close your eyes" _

Beca blinked as the soft melody of Chloe's voiced drifted over her, the redhead's arms again pulling her into a warm embrace. It was a gentle, sweet, silky sound, and Beca was convinced in all her time she had never heard anything more beautiful.

"_And save these questions for another day  
__I think I know what you've been asking me  
__I think you know what I've been trying to say  
__I promised I would never leave you  
__And you should always know  
__Wherever you may go  
__No matter where you are  
__I never will be far away"_

Beca's heart melted in a way she would never have thought possible at the sound of Chloe's lullaby. A few tears made their way down the brunette's cheek as Chloe continued to sing.

"Thank you..." Beca whispered as the sweet notes of Chloe's song slowly enveloped her, calming any and all anxiety and washing away each and every fear she held in her soul. She sighed contently as she drifted off to a peaceful sleep, a sleep devoid of anything resembling a nightmare, though not before she got a chance to be inwardly amused at the irony of the fact that Chloe was singing "Goodnight, My Angel," to her, of all people. Chloe smiled as she felt the brunette's breathing even out, indicating she had fallen back to sleep.

"Goodnight, Beca. I love you..." She whispered before placing a soft kiss on her forehead. She then hugged Beca tightly before settling in to attempt to find her own way to sleep, feeling rather proud that her idea had worked so well. She drew in a deep breath and sighed, her smile never leaving her face as she fell once again into a gentle slumber.


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: So... I finally got something written. It's a bit shorter than I prefer chapters to be, unfortunately. It's kind of filler/set up for things to come, so I hope you can forgive me for it being such a brief update, especially since it's been so long since I posted a chapter. As always, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy it!_

* * *

**Pure**

"_Knowing sadness, I came to know happiness."_

Chapter 13: Her DJ, Reflecting

Jesse rubbed his hands against his face, hoping perhaps to wipe away the sleepiness which threatened to overtake him. He turned to look at the clock hanging on the wall in the radio station and saw that it was currently only eleven o'clock at night. The brunette boy sighed at the knowledge that he still had another three hours left in this shift. Lately, Luke, the station manager, had decided that Jesse deserved a drastic increase in time spent in the booth. At first, Jesse was rather excited, as he had, at most, spent an hour working the booth up until this point. However, after a seemingly endless number of weekend nights spent holed up in the radio station, he began to realize that is what not all it had been cracked up to be. Also, he was pretty sure he only deserved the new responsibilities due to Luke deciding he wanted an actual social life, and thus, dumped most of the work on Jesse. Still, it could have been worse. At least he wasn't alone on this particular night.

"Tired?" A shy voice came from Jesse's right. He looked over to see a short, slender girl with long, brunette hair and brown eyes. Actually, if he thought about, she looked rather like Beca, though lacking in the excessive make up and distinctive ear jewelry. Despite this, to Jesse, the most notable difference between the two girls' appearances were their eyes. It wasn't just the color that made the distinction, either.

"A bit," Jesse replied as another yawn overtook him, causing the girl to giggle. Her name was Christine, and she had been hired by Luke a couple of weeks after Jesse. Often, their work schedules rotated, rarely overlapping for more than an hour, but tonight, they had both been given the all night shift. "Luke's been pretty brutal with my work schedule lately. I don't think I've interacted with anyone outside of work or class for the past month."

"That sucks," Christine said. "Could be worse, I suppose." Jesse raised his eyebrows as he looked at the short girl skeptically.

"How so?" He inquired.

"Well, you could be working this shift alone. Instead, you get to spend it with me!" She replied excitedly as she pushed her chair towards Jesse, bumping his shoulder playfully with her own as her seat rolled up next to him. The boy chuckled quietly in response.

"True," Jesse said with a small smile, though his voice held little excitement. It wasn't that he didn't like Christine. No, in fact, she was incredibly likeable. Besides just being rather attractive, she was also very talented musically. Between a heavenly singing voice and immense skill at guitar, she was extremely impressive. To top it all off, she was funny, sweet, and extremely intelligent. Despite all of this, however, Jesse remained unresponsive to any attempts at flirting she directed his way, which occurred whenever they were in close proximity. He genuinely liked her, but he just wasn't interested in her in the same way she seemed to be interested in him. Christine frowned slightly at his reaction, but quickly covered her disappointment.

"Jeez, don't act too enthusiastic," she joked. Jesse laughed a bit at this, which Christine was, admittedly, quite pleased with.

"Sorry, I'm just pretty tired. It kind of puts a damper on my enthusiasm," he assured her.

"It's cool, I definitely know that feeling," Christine replied.

"Oh really? And here I thought you didn't know how to be anything but cheerful," Jesse said teasingly.

"Well, I confess, it is a bit hard for me not to be happy when you're around," she said as a grin spread across her face. Jesse only shook his head and chuckled to himself in response, not really knowing what to say at this point. Christine sat back in her chair, observing the brunette boy with curiosity in her eyes. Realizing that the current queue of tracks were coming to an end, Jesse selected another play list of songs and lined them up to play when the current set was finished, trying to focus on his work and less on the flirtatious girl next to him. He would admit that he was definitely flattered by her advances, but the fact was he just didn't feel any attraction to her. Lost in his thoughts, the boy barely noticed when Christine tried to get his attention again. "Jesse? Jesse!" He whipped his head around when her voice reached his ears.

"Yea? What's up?" He asked.

"I think someone's calling you," Christine said, pointing towards the wall where Jesse's phone was connected to a charger. He had it set to vibrate so as to avoid it potentially going off while the radio microphone was active, and thus, had not heard it.

"Thanks," Jesse said as he rolled his chair across the booth to retrieve his phone. He picked it up and looked at the name on the screen. He furrowed his eyebrows when he saw that Chloe was calling him. He answered quickly and began to walk out of the booth, wondering why in the world she would be calling him this late at night. "Hey, Chloe, what's up?"

_"Jesse, hey. I was just wondering if you'd heard from Beca today. She was staying at my place last night and was just gone when I woke up. She hasn't been answering my calls or texts all day. I'm getting kind of worried,"_ Chloe said over the phone. Jesse could tell she seemed pretty nervous. Her voice wasn't nearly the bright, melodious, cheerful sound that one would typically expect.

"Hmm..." Jesse said, contemplating the situation for a moment. It wasn't unlike Beca to disappear at seemingly random times, but she would never go a full day without answering any attempts at communication. Well, on almost every day of the year, that is. "Oh. What's today?"

_"__Friday,"_ Chloe answered promptly.

"No, I mean, what's the date?"

_"Oh. It's the 23__rd__ of October."_

"It's Beca's birthday today."

_"What!? Oh my God, I haven't even told her happy birthday! She's probably so upset with me. Maybe that's why she's ignoring me. Oh no..."_

"Woah, woah, woah, Chloe, calm down. It's all right, really. Look," Jesse said with a sigh. "Beca always does this. Every year she disappears on her birthday. I've never really know where she goes or why, but she never seems to want to be around anyone today. Don't worry about it though. Tomorrow she'll be back and she'll apologize for making you worry and everything. I promise she doesn't hate you or anything."

_ "Really?"_

"Of course. Beca could never hate you," Jesse assured the ginger. He heard a soft laugh through the small speaker.

_ "Thanks, Jesse. But why does she do this? Does she not like celebrating her birthday?"_

"Honestly, Chloe, I don't know. I've never really known what goes on in that girl's head, try as I might. For whatever reason, she doesn't think her birthday is worth celebrating."

_"That's kind of sad,"_ Chloe said regretfully. _"Everybody's birthday is worth celebrating. Everyone deserves to be happy on their birthday."_ Jesse smiled.

"You're right, they do," he replied, letting a quiet chuckle escape his lips. "Maybe you'll be able to get her to see that. I've tried for years without success, but something tells me she'll be a bit more likely to listen to you."

_"If you say so."_

"I bet she will. Hey, listen, I'm kind of at work at the radio station right now, so I need to go. If you need anything else, just send me a text," Jesse said.

_"Thanks, Jesse."_

"No problem."After bidding the redhead goodbye, Jesse hung up the phone. He turned to look around the small radio station. As his line of sight fell across the window, which overlooked the street running next to the run down building, he saw what appeared to be a tall, pale man with long blonde hair standing on the other side of the street, staring into the station. Confused, he squinted as he continued to look out of the window. It seemed almost as if the man in question was glowing.

"So is Chloe your girlfriend?" Christine said. Upon hearing her voice, he turned back to look at her and saw that she was standing in the entrance to the radio booth, leaning up against the door frame with her arms crossed. Her question didn't really register, and he quickly turned back to the window, only to see the mysterious man had disappeared. Jesse shook his head, figuring it to be little more than a creation of his fatigue-ridding imagination.

"Sorry, what'd you say?" He asked.

"I asked if this Chloe was your girlfriend," Christine replied, causing Jesse to scoff.

"Well, at least I know you weren't eavesdropping on my call too much if you think that she could have been my girlfriend," he said as he made his way back towards the booth. "She's just a friend."

"I see," Christine said slowly. "What about Beca?"

"Again, just a friend," Jesse said with a hint of sadness in his voice, which did not go unnoticed by Christine.

"I find that a little bit harder to believe," she commented. Jesse's eyes narrowed as he stood in front of her, as she was somewhat impeding his path back into the radio booth.

"And why's that?"

"Oh, I don't know. I just notice how you play her mixes and brag about her on the radio every chance you get."

"I don't do it that much," Jesse responded, causing Christine to raise her eyebrows at him, her expression clearly one of skepticism. "Okay, maybe I do a bit. So what? She's a close friend. That's all." The brunette girl picked up on the fact that this might be a bit of a sensitive topic for him, so she decided to let it go at that.

"Whatever you say, dude," she replied with a smile before stepping out of Jesse's way to allow him entry into the booth. He moved to his chair and sat down, letting out another heavy sigh as he made contact with the seat. "Hey, seriously though Jesse, is everything all right? You've been sighing a lot lately."

"Yea, I'm fine," Jesse replied as he began dragging tracks into a new playlist, not really paying too much attention to what he was doing. "It's just been a long week."

"I see..."


	14. Chapter 14

**Pure**

"_I will climb the rope you've tied for me."_

Her DJ, Consoled

"_Beca, where are you? Please call me."_

Beca stared at the words displayed on the screen of her phone. It was one of many similar texts received from Chloe throughout the day with increasing frequency as her own silence persisted. As much as she wanted to answer it, she simply could not bring herself to do it. In her mind, she didn't deserve to feel any joy or happiness on this day of all days. She sighed as she looked up at the night sky. The brunette girl stood rigidly on the roof of the Barden University radio station, where not ten feet below, Jesse was still on his night shift with Christine. It was no surprise when she didn't even react to the approach of a raven haired angel, continuing to stare off into the darkness that stretched endlessly above her.

"For nineteen years, you've spent the day of your human birth, the day most spend in celebration, in solitude," Michael said as he came to a stop a few feet behind Beca. "Why is that?"

"The day I entered the human world doesn't deserve celebration," Beca answered somberly.

"I believe Chloe would disagree," the angel replied. Beca laughed bitterly as she heard his words.

"Of course she would. She's too kind to think badly about anyone, even people who don't deserve her love. People like me," she responded sorrowfully.

"Are you ever going to tell her?" Michael asked.

"No," she answered, not turning to look at him. "Even if she believed me, which I doubt she would, the truth would only disgust her. She would never look at me the same way."

"Have you so little faith in her?"

"Don't be naïve, Michael," Beca replied forlornly as she brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "I was born a monster, and I always will be. I never deserved her love in the first place."

"Why is it that you hold yourself in such low regard?" Michael asked somberly.

"Because of what I am."

"What are you?"

"You know exactly what I am."

"I know that you are one of the kindest and most selfless individuals I have ever had the privilege of meeting," Michael stated confidently, but his words only garnered a scoff from the brunette.

"Don't bullshit me, Michael. As much as I like to say that I'm no longer Ceirsion, we both know that's not true. I'm an abomination that shouldn't even have been allowed to exist," Beca replied angrily.

"Lady Rebecca, it pains me to hear you say that. You are not defined by your circumstances. You are not the sum of the parts that conceived you. You gave up everything to protect the human world," Michael stated solemnly. Beca let out a heavy sigh.

"But it wasn't for them," she said.

"Then why did you do it?"

"I guess," Beca began. "I wanted some way to be more than just my father's tool, more than just a pawn in his game. And I wanted to spite him. I hated him for having ever created me."

"Forgive me, my lady, but the nature of your heritage was never made privy to us. All we knew was that you were one of the most powerful agents of Gehenna," Michael stated.

"Oh really? Even you didn't know?" Beca asked in genuine surprise.

"I'm afraid not, my lady," the angel confirmed. He was, admittedly, beginning to feel a bit uneasy, which was saying a lot for the most powerful Archangel in Heaven. He began to think he already knew the information that Beca was about to divulge, though he had no way of being sure without her confirmation.

"Well, I suppose I never actually advertised it. And neither did he. Familial relationships weren't exactly held in high regard amongst our kind," Beca said with a sigh.

"Who was he?"

"Mephistopheles."

"What!?" Michael exclaimed, the angel's usually calm, reserved tone giving way to bewilderment. Even having guess that this might be the case, the reality of it still shocked him.

"My father was Mephistopheles, the king of Gehenna himself," Beca said. She turned to face the Archangel, whose jaw was agape. It was, in Beca's opinion, a rather humorously un-angelic look, though she was, at this point, not feeling particularly in the mood to laugh. "So even the great Archangel Michael can be surprised. Who knew?" She smirked. "Maybe now you can start to understand why I feel the way that I do." Michael quickly recovered his composure before responding to the girl.

"I still think your self-hatred is unwarranted," he said.

"How can you possibly say that? Especially after what I just told you..."

"Because," Michael responded, taking a step closer to Beca. "Despite your claim that you sealed the Gates of Gehenna for your own selfish reasons, you couldn't have sacrificed yourself that way without some love of the human world. First, by stealing the Forbidden Lance from the vaults of Heaven, you risked death from the entire armies of Heaven, and second, the actual sealing process nearly destroyed your very existence. It was only because you used the Lance that you were able to survive at all after creating such an impregnable barrier. Then there's the fact that you never once harmed a human, nor did you ever influence any to further Mephistopheles's goals. And you could have killed my comrades and I that day before you sealed the Gates, but you didn't. You say you wanted to be more than your father's daughter; I know that what you truly sought was redemption, despite the fact that the only thing that you ever did wrong was being born on the wrong side of the River Styx, something which you obviously had no say in. Finally, for the past nineteen years, you have learned to love. You love in a way that even Angels cannot. You love as humans do, with passion, kindness, tenderness, and sincerity. You have learned to do that which Angels and Demons cannot. And you have more than earned the love that Chloe Beale holds for you. You are not Lady Ceirsion, you are not the daughter of Mephistopheles. You are Rebecca Mitchell, and you deserve every ounce of love that your sweet Chloe has given you, and that's not even mentioning that of Jesse and your human parents. You are not the demon you hate; you are the human who is dearly loved." Beca looked into the Archangel's eyes as he spoke, and it was all she could do not to allow her tears to burst forth. At first, she didn't really want to believe him. It was too simple, too easy, and she had spent so much time already wallowing in self-loathing. But Michael's words touched something deep within Beca's soul, and she knew that, as hard as it would be for her to come to terms with it, they were true. She laughed as she wiped at her eyes, not particularly wanting to cry in front of him.

"Thank you..." she whispered as a solitary tear that she had failed to hold back ran down her cheek. "Thank you..." Michael smiled.

"I speak only the truth," Michael said with a smirk. "Now, I do believe that, at this point, dear Chloe will be rather distraught over your absence. Perhaps you would do well to go to her now. And if you don't wish to tell her of your true nature, I would understand, though I still am of the opinion that you should."

"Well, we'll have to agree to disagree on that," Beca responded with a small chuckle. "But you're right, I should get back. Thank you, Michael. You really do always seem to know what to say."

"You flatter me, my lady," he responded with a smile. "Now be on your way. You know it's rude to keep a lady waiting."

"Yea, yea, I know," Beca responded. She chuckled softly again. "Since when did Archangels start giving advice on relationships to Demons? What is the world coming to?" Michael let out a hearty laugh, the warm, joyous sound making the night seem just a bit brighter.

"Your sense of humor never fails. Now, I must bid thee farewell, my lady," he said before bowing respectfully.

"See you around, Michael," Beca said.

"Likewise, Lady Rebecca," Michael responded before disappearing in a flash of light. Beca shook her head, still amused at the flashy means of the angel's exit. She looked at her phone again, contemplating whether or not to text Chloe, but she decided it would be faster for her to simply run to her apartment. That way, she wouldn't have to explain where she was or how she had arrived to quickly. She turned in the direction of Chloe's and launched herself off of the roof onto the next building before continuing to move at an impossible speed, her form utterly invisible to the human eye in the night as she moved from roof to roof towards her destination.

She had been running and jumping for a total of ten seconds and had already covered half of the distance to Chloe's apartment when she saw a figure out of the corner of her eye that caused her to stop before quickly changing directions. She hurled herself towards the subtly glowing figure, landing gracefully before him with, barely containing the rising ire she held in the pit of her stomach.

"Gabriel," Beca said as she walked closer towards the angel. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were following me." Gabriel smiled and let out a soft laugh.

"Ever the perceptive one, aren't we, Ceirsion?" He said with an eery smile. "So how _was_ your little discussion with Michael? I'm sure it must have been utterly _riveting_."

"Something tells me you already know everything that was said."

"You think I would eavesdrop on my superiors? My lady, whatever do you take me for?" Gabriel spoke, his voice dripping with an unsettling sarcasm, his strange smile remaining stretched across his face. Beca remained silent, her gaze boring into his own as she tried to discern why he was here. One or two ideas came to mind.

"And why don't I believe that?"

"Perhaps because you're more intelligent than you seem."

"A trait that I clearly don't share with you, Gabby," Beca replied with a smirk. Gabriel's own smile dropped at her taunt.

"You would do well not to antagonize me, my lady," he said calmly, though there was a bit more an edge to his voice than there had been previously, Beca noted.

"Why not? You already don't trust me," she replied.

"What ever gave you that idea?"

"Lucky guess," Beca said. "Look, I know you don't like me, but don't you have anything better to do than follow my ass around all the time?"

"Oh, but what could be more important than you? You are, after all, the only non-human threat in this world," he replied almost gleefully. It was then that the realization hit Beca. It was so simple that she cursed herself for not having understood it sooner.

"You think I wanted to be the only demon in the human world," she said calmly.

"The thought had crossed my mind."

"A fair conclusion, I admit, but once again, you're either to blind or too stupid to ever comprehend my motivations," Beca replied venomously. She was quickly growing tired of Gabriel's presence, only really wanting to see Chloe at this point. The blonde angel scowled at Beca's insults. "Leave me alone, Gabriel. I want nothing more than to live the rest of my life as a human."

"That does sound ever so convenient," he said, taking a threatening step towards the short girl, who refused to be intimidated. She glared at him as he spoke, standing her ground. "But I don't believe you."

"Did I mention your poor vision and potential mental deficiency? Jesus, I thought Angels were supposed to be intelligent," Beca spoke condescendingly. At this point, the angel was positively seething, of which Beca would admit she was quite proud.

"Your petty insults matter not," he said quietly, though his features spoke quite to the contrary of his words. "It's fortunate that you are under Michael's protection, otherwise this night would have had a very different ending."

"Whatever, dude. You never stood a chance against me before and you still don't. Now leave me alone. I'm getting really tired of your shit," Beca said.

"So confident, even without your famous blade?" Gabriel taunted as a glowing saber appeared in his right hand. Beca's eyes flashed towards the sword, and she eyed the angel wearily as he took another step closer to her. "You would do well to remember your place."

"Leave. Now," Beca growled. Gabriel recoiled slightly as Beca's now crimson eyes bore into his. He scoffed as the blade he held vanished.

"As you wish, my lady," he said sardonically before bowing and disappearing in the same flash of light that preceded Michael's departure. Beca let out a sigh and blinked a few times as her building rage receded.

"I'm starting to think I was better off in Hell. At least Gabriel was never around to annoy me..." she muttered as she resumed her journey towards her girlfriend's apartment.


	15. Chapter 15

**Pure**

"_Like a sign, like a dream,  
__you're my Amaranthine.  
__You are all I needed, believe me.  
__Like we drift in a stream,  
__your beauty serene.  
__There's nothing else in life I ever need.  
__My dream, Amaranthine."_

Chapter 15: Her DJ, Alluring

"Beca fucking Mitchell!" Aubrey screeched from across the threshold of her and Chloe's shared apartment. Upon arriving, Beca had knocked quietly on the door only to have it immediately thrown open to be met with the sight of a furious Aubrey. "Where the hell have you been? And why haven't you been answering your phone?" Beca winced slightly a the scolding she was receiving from the blonde girl, which, in retrospect, she would find quite humorous. She had faced the assault of Heaven's three Archangels without flinching, and yet, here she was, only a few steps above cowering before Aubrey's wrath. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry," Beca admitted, which caused Aubrey to recoil slightly. She hadn't expected the brunette to give in so easily, forgoing any witty retorts or sarcastic comments in favor of what seemed to be a sincere apology. To say it caught the blonde off guard was a bit of an understatement.

"It's okay," Chloe said softly as she walked up behind Aubrey. The taller girl turned to look at the redhead, her ever increasing bewilderment evident on her face. "Really, Aubrey, it's fine. I know Beca didn't mean to worry me." The brunette looked at Chloe sadly as she could tell she had spent some manner of time crying. Her cheeks were red and her eyes bloodshot, and, despite this, Beca still thought she was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She mentally cursed herself for having put Chloe through this; she, of all people, could never deserve to have to worry like that. "Could you give us a minute, Bree?" Aubrey nodded and turned back to give Beca one last glare before retreating to her own room, leaving the redhead and the brunette alone save for their own company.

"Chloe, I-" Beca began before Chloe raised her hand to the shorter girl's face, softly pressing her fingers against her lips to silence her.

"It's okay, Beca, honestly," she said. "I wasn't just saying that to spare you Aubrey's scolding. Though, I do think you owe me one for getting you out of it regardless." Chloe smiled as she spoke which only served to confuse Beca.

"But... why?"

"I talked to Jesse when I couldn't get in touch with you."

"Oh."

"He really is a great guy, you know," Chloe said. "I'm pretty sure there's no one that cares for you more than he does. Well, except maybe for me. Though I wish I didn't have to hear from him why you disappeared last night and ignored me all day." Beca looked down at her feet as guilt washed over her, and it wasn't just from the way she had made Chloe feel. The ginger's assessment of Jesse rang true for the shorter girl as she thought back to all of the time he had spent with her, all that he had done for her, and she had given so little in return. She knew she could never return his feelings of attraction toward her, but that didn't make it sting any less that she had to be constantly hurting her best friend.

"I'm sorry," Beca said somberly. "I'd understand if you didn't want to be with me anymore." At this, Chloe only rolled her eyes.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous," she chided. "I already told you it's okay. If anything, I thought you were dumping me."

"I could never dump you!" Beca replied quickly, causing a wide smile to erupt across Chloe's face.

"Well, duh," she said with a smirk. "I mean have you seen me?" She gestured to the rest of her body as she spoke, and she most definitely did not miss the way Beca's eyes drank in the sight of her before the brunette began giggling.

"I suppose your humility definitely had something to do with it too," Beca said, donning her own smirk as Chloe laughed.

"Oh, totes. I'm the most humble girl in the world."

"Clearly," Beca replied with shake of her head.

"Hey, Beca," Chloe said, her tone suddenly serious.

"Yea?"

"You know I love you, right?"

"How could I forget?"

"Look, Beca, I know that there's a lot of things you haven't told me, a lot that you're holding back. Every time I feel like I'm starting to get to know you, you have to go and create even more questions and mysteries for me to wonder about. I mean, who can flick a plastic pellet through a wooden target and beat the hell out of three carjackers? Not to mention how you saved me from Tom. And I know so little about your past. The few details that I've gotten from you and Jesse are just too vague."

"Chloe..."

"I'm not asking you to just immediately spill your guts about everything," Chloe assured Beca, as the brunette's expression was certainly one of fear, an emotion that Chloe never thought she would ever see from her. "And I'm definitely not going to break up with you. I mean, I'm basically dating a hot, badass, ninja DJ." She winked at Beca as she spoke which caused the girl's face to instantly redden, though her injection of humor into her speech was most certainly welcome to her, as it did wonders to calm her nerves at the moment. "But Beca, I love you, and I want to know you. I want to know all of you. And that doesn't have to happen right this second, but you have to start letting me in, okay?" Beca smiled at the redhead as she finished her speech. It wasn't her typical, amused smirk. No, this was a genuine, pure smile, and Chloe's heart warmed at the sight of it, much as the brunette's had just done.

"I think I can manage that," Beca said softly before pulling the ginger gently into a hug. Chloe was caught off guard for a moment, as Beca was not usually the one to initiate such things, despite long ago shedding her habit of shying away from them. She sighed happily into the embrace, closing her eyes as she relished the feeling of the smaller girl's body pressed against her own. After a few moments, Beca pulled back slightly to look at the redhead, her signature smirk now adorning her face. "So... you still think I'm a badass ninja, huh?"

"Am I wrong?" Chloe said with a slight giggle.

"Well, I suppose badass isn't inaccurate. But I told you, I'm not a ninja or anything. I'm just one hell of a DJ," Beca said.

"Whatever that means," Chloe joked.

"Stick around long enough and you just might find out," Beca replied teasingly.

"Oh, trust me, I'm not going anywhere," Chloe stated before pressing her lips to Beca's. The two hadn't really moved from their position just inside the entrance to the apartment since Beca arrived, and the shorter girl soon found herself pressed against the door as Chloe attacked her lips with her own, her tongue both urgently and gently making its way to Beca's. The brunette's knees buckled slightly as she melted into the kiss, allowing her body to be squeezed between the wood of the door and the warm body pressing against her's. She wasn't sure how long they stayed that way, but, eventually, they began to run out of breath. Chloe finally detached her lips from Beca's and pressed her forehead against the shorter girl's. Chloe panted as she closed her eyes, letting out a soft giggle that Beca, though she would never vocalize it, found incredibly adorable and sweet. "How could I ever give that up?" Before Beca could answer, Chloe moved her lips to Beca's neck and began all imaginable combinations of kissing, licking, biting, and sucking, which elicited the most sensual moan that had ever escaped the brunette's lips. To say Chloe was proud of herself would be an understatement.

"Something tells me you'd like more than just that," Beca commented slyly as she arched her back slightly, using the door behind her to support her weight. At this, Chloe immediately ceased all of her actions and stared at Beca, her mouth agape in disbelief.

"Are you sure?" Chloe asked uncertainly. "I mean, don't get me wrong, you're absolutely right, but I don't want you to feel pressured or anything. It's perfectly all right if you don't want to go that far. You're more than worth waiting. And I honestly-" Beca placed a finger on the redhead's lips.

"Chloe," she said seriously. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life." With that, she swept the ginger up in her arms and carried her to her bedroom before kicking the door closed behind her with a resounding clap.


	16. Chapter 16

_A/N: So, this one is super short so I do hope you'll forgive me. I had an excessively difficult time trying to figure out what I wanted to have happen next, but I decided I didn't want to just skip on ahead like I have done with previous transitions between chapters. Thus, this is the result. Not a whole lot happens in this one, but things are about to start getting more interesting, I promise. That being said, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I felt pretty awkward as I wrote it, as it's not the sort of thing I've ever written about before, so I hope it doesn't seem too awkward to read._

_Edit: Well, my dumb ass decided to post this chapter without a title. This is the second time I've done that and I didn't notice it for the longest time the first time I did it. So, yea... a bit embarrassing but it's fixed now. XD_

* * *

**Pure**

"_No living being is a one man show. Every decision you make will affect the countless people that care about you."_

Chapter 16: Her DJ, Beginning

Beca's eyes snapped open, her vision instantly clear as she took in her surroundings. It wasn't an unfamiliar sight. The brunette was used to being greeted by the obnoxiously bright colors of Chloe's room made all the more vibrant by the sunlight pouring in through the window in the morning, as she had stayed the night at her girlfriend's apartment many times before. It also wasn't anything new to wake with the redhead's arms pulling her tightly against the other girl's body, for Chloe was nothing if not affectionate as she slept. That being said, this was certainly the first time she ever woke with the feeling of Chloe's skin pressing against her uncovered back.

The thin, white sheet of Chloe's bed was draped haphazardly over the couple, as though they hadn't really bothered with covering themselves adequately, for the warmth they provided each other as they slept was more than sufficient, even with the increasingly colder nights. Beca sighed with contentment and smiled as her thoughts drifted to the previous night. When her thoughts reached the memory of how they had made it to the bedroom, she chuckled lightly to herself, remembering how after sweeping Chloe off of her feet and carrying her to the bed, she realized that she hadn't exactly thought things through, for at that point, she was absolutely, hopelessly clueless as to what to do next. Mentally, she had begun to panic as she stood awkwardly and nervously at the foot of the bed, unsure of what action to take next. But Chloe, in a way only she could, gave her that smile that always seemed to reassure Beca, that told her she didn't care how awkward or nervous or clueless she was, that told her she could trust her. So she did. She let Chloe take her places she never knew existed, made her feel things that she was unaware could ever be felt.

It was then that Chloe began to stir slightly, having been roused by the sound of Beca's amusement. Beca rolled around to face the redhead, still wrapped up in a tangle of sheets and her girlfriend's arms. She smiled fondly at Chloe as her eyes fluttered open, and the same contented smile adorned her face as she took in the sight of the brunette laying naked in front of her.

"Hey you," Chloe said.

"Hey," Beca replied with a smile. She brushed her hand lightly against Chloe's cheek, earning a melodious giggle from the older girl. "So last night was..."

"Amazing? Mind-numbingly incredible? The actual best sex I have ever had in my entire life?" Chloe finished with a beaming grin. Beca's cheeks flushed as she broke eye contact with the ginger, though she still maintained a small smile, despite her slight embarrassment. For whatever reason, even in private, whenever sex was explicitly mentioned, or, for that matter, subtly implied with a quick wink or a sultry smile from the redhead, Beca couldn't help but blush as though she was little more than a shy teenager, not an incredibly powerful being from what was, essentially, another dimension. The thought seemed so ridiculous to the brunette but she had quickly decided that she simply did not care. She refused to dwell on the past any longer.

"Yea, that," she whispered. Chloe giggled again, and Beca swore she would never hear that sound enough.

"Oh my God, you're so cute," Chloe cooed as she pulled the smaller girl closer into her embrace, to which Beca responded by nuzzling into the redhead's neck.

"I'm not cute. You're cute," she mumbled against her skin, causing Chloe to smile as she felt the girl's lips vibrating against her skin, her warm breath tickling her neck. "I'm just one hell of a..."

"Lover," Chloe again finished Beca's statement, this time with a dreamy smile and a husky voice. Beca rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless, thankful that she had not been the disappointment she feared she would be.

"That's not quite what I was going to say, but I'll take it," she said with a chuckle. "You're such a dork."

"I can live with that," Chloe said as she moved her head downwards to place a kiss on Beca's lips. "As long as I'm your dork."

"That works for me," Beca replied. "So... Not that I wouldn't love to stay here all day, which, believe me, I would be totally cool with that, but I'm actually starting to get pretty hungry. Do you want me to go get us some breakfast?"

"Well, I'm sure we could find something to eat here if you'd rather not leave," Chloe said in a low, sensual voice as a mischievous grin spread across her face. Again, Beca's face blushed a furious crimson at her girlfriend's innuendo, though no words of protest left her mouth as Chloe began placing kisses down the length of Beca's body, earning a soft moan from the brunette. She let out an embarrassingly high-pitched squeal as Chloe's tongue teased a particularly sensitive point on her hip which only spurred on the redhead's actions. "God, you're so beautiful."

"I love you so much," Beca said as she looked down and smiled fondly at Chloe, who was now resting her chin just above her hips as she drank in the sight of the smaller girl. Her hands trailed lazily against her skin, causing a shiver to run down Beca's spine.

"I love you too, Beca," Chloe said with a warm smile.


	17. Chapter 17

**Pure**

"_I don't know the answer. That's how its always been. Whether I believed in my abilities or the choices of friends I trust, no one could predict how things turned out. That's why the best you can do is to make your choice with no regrets."_

Chapter 17: Her DJ, Unassuming

Aubrey took a small sip from the cup of coffee she held in her hands, relishing the feel of the warm mug against her skin and the smell of the freshly brewed beverage. She smiled as she felt the caffeine begin to do its work, waking up her senses and bringing her vision into sharp focus as she shook off her sleepiness. It had been a long night, to say the least, and she was only just now getting out of bed at eleven o'clock, which was appalling in and of itself. Aubrey Posen never slept in or broke her habit of a morning run, but, on the previous night, she had stayed up far past her typical bed time in an effort to finish her Criminology II research paper before the weekend so that she could enjoy her weekend. Well, that was partially the reason, anyway. Contrary to popular belief, the blonde didn't actually enjoy spending all of her time slaving over school work. Most people got the impression that she was a workaholic, but that was an unfair observation. She was simply driven, disciplined, and a bit of a perfectionist. Having taken until roughly three o'clock in the morning to finish this assignment, she allowed herself the small privilege of sleeping in on this Saturday morning. The prospect of a free Saturday was not, on its own, enough to spur the blonde into meeting an unnecessary, self imposed deadline. It just so happened that, on that particular night, it would seem that, after Beca had returned from her mysterious disappearance, she was able to not only calm and cheer up Aubrey's redheaded roommate, but also decided that she was ready to take the next step in their relationship. Which meant, at least on Chloe's part, an exorbitant amount of screaming and moaning. All. Damn. Night.

The blonde senior shuddered at the memory of those sounds which she was convinced had traumatized and would haunt her for at least a good month or two. In fairness, it wasn't like she and her own girlfriend, Stacie, had been any different when they were intimate. Like Chloe, Stacie was very much a loud and vocal lover. Still, Aubrey suspected Chloe minded less, as she was much less shy when it came to this sort of thing. Hell, if Aubrey was a betting woman, she'd probably wager that Chloe would have been cheering her on through the door were it not for her knowledge of the blonde's shyness. Still, the fact was that the sounds that Beca managed to elicit from Chloe last night were incredibly loud and not conducive to sleep, thus, the blonde had decided to at least be productive and free up the rest of her Saturday, since she wasn't getting any rest that night anyway.

It wasn't until later that day that Chloe returned from, well, wherever she had been to find Aubrey sitting on the couch, her face buried in a book that she had been itching to read at the first sign of free time, which, in her opinion, was unfortunately hard to come by. She had been reading so intently that she hadn't noticed how much time had passed, but when she heard the door closed, she looked up to give the redhead her most intimidating and malicious glare, seeking some measure of vindication for her lost night of sleep, though Chloe seemed to take no notice.

"Hey, Bree," She said with a smile as she plopped down on the couch next to her roommate.

"Someone is in a good mood, I see..." Aubrey murmured as she turned the page of her book. Chloe looked at Aubrey, her face scrunching up as she tried to read her friend. It didn't take her long to notice the subtle dark circles under the blonde's eyes, for even though she had slept in to make up for her lack of sleep during the night, she still had stayed awake far longer than her body was accustomed to. The realization hit Chloe within seconds.

"Sorry if we kept you up last night," she said sheepishly. Aubrey chuckled as she closed her book and gave the redhead a pointed, skeptical look. She wasn't really mad at the ginger.

"It's fine, Chlo. I know Stacie and I have probably kept you up before anyway. Plus, I got my Criminology II paper done, and now I've got the whole weekend free," Aubrey said.

"So what you're saying is..." Chloe began slowly, with Aubrey raising her eyebrows expectantly. "That we actually did you a favor?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. I'm still traumatized beyond words," Aubrey said stoically, which garnered an amused giggle from the redhead.

"If it's any consolation, Beca did her best to keep her own voice down, knowing you were here an all," Chloe said brightly.

"That... actually does make me feel slightly better," Aubrey admitted, earning another giggle from the ginger. "So what changed?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that, up until now, you and Beca hadn't been _that_ intimate, which, as I recall, was bothering you, if for no other reason that the fact that you couldn't figure out why. And you never told me if you had gotten around to actually discussing that with her. So what changed?"

"You see, that's the thing. We never _did_ talk about it, at least not up until right before we started. We were making out against the door last night and..."

"Damn, now I have to burn that door," Aubrey muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Anyway, like I said, we were making out, and then..."

At that moment, Chloe was interrupted by a knocking on the door of their apartment, and both girls looked at the door in confusion before looking at each other.

"Expecting someone?" Aubrey asked.

"No, Beca was stopping by the radio station to hang out with Jesse a bit while he worked. You?" Chloe replied. Aubrey shook her head as Chloe stood up to go answer the door. She looked out through the peephole to see a tall man with long, flowing blonde hair that rivaled Aubrey's in length wearing a black business suit standing outside of her door. Confused, but mildly curious, she opened the door. "Can I help you?"

"Yes... I believe you can..."

* * *

_A/N: I am so sorry for posting yet another chapter that's so short, but I promise I have already started on the next one and it should be done in the next day or so, as it was originally intended to be part of this chapter. I was planning on posting another chapter of What Doesn't Kill You before I worked on this but I felt like this needed an update soon, which is another part of the reason for this chapter being so short. Again, my apologies. I do hope you enjoy it! And thanks, as always, for all of the wonderful and kind words in your reviews. :)_


	18. Chapter 18

**Pure**

"_When we start killing  
__It's all coming down right now  
__From the nightmare we've created,  
__I want to be awakened somehow"_

Chapter 18: Her DJ, Aware

"What's got you looking so... chipper?" Jesse asked Beca, who was humming nonsensically as she sat on the large wooden desk in the radio station where Jesse worked, an uncharacteristically wide smile gracing her features. She swung her legs idly, for they did not reach the floor, giving the brunette woman a distinctly child like appearance, which would have been endlessly humorous to Jesse were it not so... unusual.

"Hmm...?" Beca replied, causing Jesse to cock his eyebrows as he looked at the girl from his position near the large shelf where he was placing records. "Oh, nothing in particular. Are you done yet?" Jesse shook his head and chuckled.

"Had a good night with a certain redhead, did we?" He asked, ignoring her question. The boy smirked as his suspicions were confirmed by the immediate reddening of Beca's face as she looked away from him. "Oh, you totally did."

"Maybe..." She mumbled, caving quite easily in the face of his interrogation. Jesse laughed at her reluctant and embarrassment, though he vaguely wondered how it had been so easy to get her to admit to it, considering she was fairly closed off at the best of times, at least with him. "Oh, shut up. Anyway, I wanted to thank you."

"For what?"

"For keeping Chloe from worrying too much when I disappeared on her yesterday."

"It was no problem. Though I really shouldn't have to, you know. And where do you always go anyway?" Jesse asked. Beca only looked away, deciding not to answer his question, her cheerful demeanor quickly slipping away. The brunette boy sighed when he realized he wasn't going to get any answers out of the girl. "One day, you're going to have to let people in, especially if you want what you have with Chloe to last."

"I'm trying, Jesse. I really am."

"I know. But I'm not the one who needs to know that."

"You're right," Beca replied. "We actually did talk about this last night when I got back to her place. That was before we..." Jesse cocked his eyebrows expectantly, causing Beca's cheeks to flush red as she looked at the floor in a desperate attempt to conceal her facial features. "Never mind. Anyway, you never answered my question, dude. Are you done with that yet?"

"Jeez, Becs, what's your rush?" Jesse asked as he placed a CD on the shelf behind the desk upon which Beca sat. "As I recall, you were the one who wanted to come hang out with me."

"Yea, well, you've been so busy here that I haven't seen you like at all lately. And I'd figured we'd be doing something that didn't make me want to kill myself," Beca murmured. "Like playing music or something. I mean, you work in a radio station. Is that too much to expect?" Jesse chuckled as he placed the now empty crate which had previously contained the CD's and records to be returned to their proper shelves under the desk.

"I guess not, but I don't have the shift in the booth today. Christine does," he said with a nod towards the booth. Beca craned her neck to look through the glass around the booth, spotting the slender brunette girl talking into a microphone whilst wearing a rather large set of headphones. She could hear her voice coming over the speakers of the radio station. When she was finished, Christine removed her headphones and looked out of the booth to see Beca eying her curiously. As she made eye contact, Christine frowned at Beca, who turned her head and furrowed her brow in confusion as she observed the girl in the booth.

"What's her deal?" Beca asked.

"What do you mean?" Jesse asked nonchalantly. He looked back to the sound booth to see Christine smiling, and she gave him a small wave as she caught his attention, which he returned unenthusiastically.

"She's... never mind," Beca said with a sigh as she observed the brief interaction. She figured she knew the answer to her question but had the good sense not vocalize it. There wasn't really a point to it anyway.

"Have I ever told you how much of a weirdo you are?"

"Only on every possible occasion."

"Well, I'm saying it again."

"Duly noted."

"Well, I'm done," Jesse said as he picked up his backpack. "It's about time for my shift to end too."

"Finally," Beca replied gleefully as she hopped down from the desk. Jesse rolled his eyes before knocking against the window that looked into the radio booth to alert Christine to his departure. She smiled and waved goodbye to him as he did so, which did not go unnoticed by Beca. Then they walked out of the station, with Beca taking a deep breath of the evening air as she stepped out of the old building. "So... What's going on with you and Christine?"

"Hmm...?" Jesse hummed as the two began to walk towards Chloe's apartment.

"Christine. She seemed way friendlier with me than she did you," Beca answered, which garnered a sigh from the boy. Beca frowned. Jesse never sighed this much. That was her thing. She was the broody, reserved one, while Jesse was the outgoing, happy one of the pair.

"She always spends our shifts flirting with me and trying to ask me out, despite me having turned her down multiple times."

"Why would you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Turn her down. I mean, I haven't talked to her or anything so I don't know what she's like, but she was really pretty. Does she have a bad personality or something?"

"No, it's nothing like that. She's actually pretty funny and sweet."

"Then why not?"

"I don't know, Beca," Jesse answered, looking off into the distance as they walked. Beca was bewildered by his behavior, to say the least, though she did think that now she was getting a taste of what everyone else who always tried to talk to her felt like. She made a note to keep that in mind next time someone tried to get answers out of her. That being said, she decided to leave the issue alone, as she knew she wasn't likely to get anything out of him at this point.

They walked the rest of the distance to Chloe's apartment in silence. They had been invited over for a movie night with her and Aubrey, much to Jesse's elation, considering movies were most definitely his forte. The whole idea had been Chloe's, actually, when Beca had mentioned to her at lunch that she felt bad for not hanging out with Jesse as much lately, and Chloe decided a movie night would be the best remedy, saying she would tell Aubrey when she returned. Hopefully, the blonde wouldn't be too opposed to the idea, considering the short notice. Beca had also hoped Stacie wouldn't be involved, not because she disliked the taller girl, but because she didn't want Jesse to feel like the fifth wheel.

When they arrived at the small apartment, Beca knocked on the door. Hearing now response, and giving a confused look to Jesse, her eyes narrowed as she knocked again, this time more forcefully. Still nothing. She reached for the door handle and found that it was unlocked, and she gently pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"Chloe?" She called out into the apartment. "Aubrey?"

"Do they usually leave the door unlocked when they leave?" Jesse asked as he fell in behind her. Beca shook her head. "Maybe they just slipped out to go pick up some food or something and left in unlocked because they knew we'd be coming." Beca checked her phone and noticed she had no new messages from her girlfriend or Aubrey.

"No, one of them would have texted me to ask when I was coming before doing that. You know how Aubrey is," Beca said slowly. She looked around, searching for anything that might be out of place, when she spotted the door to Aubrey's room cracked slightly open. She moved towards the door and pushed it open, her heart rate beating rather rapidly in fear of what she might find. When the door was completely ajar, she let out a small sigh of relief as she saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Hey, Becs, get over here!" Jesse yelled across the apartment. Beca instantly identified the source of his voice to be from Chloe's room, and she instantly appeared at his side. Her eyes widened at the sight before her. Aubrey was lain across Chloe's bed, completely unmoving save for her slow breathing. Her hands were folded across her stomach as she slept, and Beca's blood ran cold as she saw what the blonde held. It was a Lily. Gabriel's flower.

"Jesse," Beca whispered, and he looked over at her in utter bewilderment, having no clue as to what was going on. "She's just sleeping. She'll be fine. But I've got to go. Stay here and take care of her." And with that, Beca dashed out of the room, maintaining a realistically human speed until she was out of Jesse's sight. She heard him calling after her, but ignored him as she shot out of the apartment at a speed that made her nearly invisible to the naked eye. A familiar feeling ran through her veins as she ran. She gritted her teeth, determined not to let history repeat itself. _"Gabriel, what have you done?"_

* * *

_A/N: And here we go! So sorry for the short chapter again. As I said, they were originally planned as a single update but I thought this was more suitable. All I've got to say is, things are about to go down. So I hope you all enjoy it, and, as always, thank you for all the support! :)_


	19. Chapter 19

_A/N: Well, here it is. The chapter I've been waiting to write since I started this story. I don't know if it's necessary to place a warning here, or how to do it without giving anything away, but this chapter gets relatively intense. It's not any worse than anything I've written previously, in my mind, so it should be fine. The best thing to say, I suppose, is that if the chapter about Beca's mom bothered you, then this one likely will too. So, with that being said, here we go! _

* * *

**Pure**

"_I'm warning you. If you so much as bruise what's in your hand, I'll show you pain. The hue of your soul will cease to matter because you will not be judged when you die. You will no longer exist."_

Chapter 19: Her DJ, Enraged

It didn't take Beca long to locate Gabriel. In actuality, it was an easier task than even she expected it to be, which only confirmed that the Archangel wanted to be found. She didn't know what he was playing at by kidnapping Chloe, but if any harm befell the redhead, there would be Hell to pay. Quite literally.

The brunette focused on the waves of Angelic energy that were rolling gently across the campus as part of Gabriel's efforts to draw her in. She was easily able to pinpoint the source as being from the currently unused football stadium of Barden University. As she ran at a blinding, furious pace, Beca's thoughts were on how everything seemed to point towards Gabriel wanting her to fight with him. Kidnapping her girlfriend and lover and then revealing his location, which happened to be large and unlikely to house any visitors. It wasn't a trap; it was a challenge.

_"__A challenge you'll regret making before we're through..."_ Beca thought as she ran. The distance from Chloe's apartment to the football stadium could normally be covered by a fifteen minute walk, but Beca arrived in about thirty seconds. Instead of bothering with entering through the gate, she simply launched herself into the air and over the gargantuan walls, landing gracefully in front of an amused Gabriel, behind whom lay an unconscious Chloe. Beca's eyes narrowed, looking from Gabriel's smug expression the peaceful features of the sleeping redhead, before the brunette disappeared. She reappeared next to Chloe for only a moment before disappearing again, this time, with the ginger in her arms. She stopped somewhere in the stands and lay the comatose girl down. The shorter girl's temper rose quickly but she remained calm, knowing her ire would do her no favors here. She quickly confirmed that Chloe was unharmed before turning back to face the Angel, who, from the roughly thirty yard distance, appeared to be clapping. Beca scowled before she ran to meet him, stopping about five yards away from him, her movements so fast that, again, she appeared to simply be teleporting.

"Ah, the famous _flash step_," Gabriel commented as he continued his mock applause. "One of the many things that made you the most powerful demon in Gehenna. Michael was the only other one I knew that was capable of such movement, but even he never compared to the art, to the grace with which you performed it. It's been so long since I've had the privilege of seeing it." Beca remained silent as she stared at the Angel, her scowl growing more intense with each passing second. "Oh, my lady, where have your manners gone? Is this how you would accept a compliment?"

"Enough, Gabriel," Beca replied coldly. "I'm here, I'm pissed. You've got what you wanted, so let's get this over with."

"Do not be so hasty, my lady," Gabriel said, holding his hands up. "I rather hoped we might have a nice little chat first."

"About?" Beca asked as she cocked her eyebrows at the blonde angel.

"Did you not wonder _why_ I took your dear Chloe?"

"I assumed it was because you wanted me to attack you, so that you could have a justifiable reason to kill me."

"Hmm... that isn't entirely incorrect. Though, I admit, I was not planning on taking any action until you _defiled_ the poor girl."

"What?" Beca exclaimed incredulously.

"Ah, my lady, but surely you would have known what an abominable action it is for a demon to to mate with a human? You know full well that is nothing short of a heinous crime against humanity in the eyes of Heaven, one I fully intend to punish."

"That law was enacted to combat succubi and incubi. It has nothing to do with _love_."

"For all of your legendary power, you really are just a silly, little girl. You're a demon. You don't know what love is. Didn't you ever wonder why you felt such an immediate... _attraction_ towards Chloe?"

"I-"

"You were drawn to her because she is everything you are not. She lives in the light, and you, in the dark. She is kind, while you are abrasive. She is open, you are guarded. She is honest, you are a liar. She is _pure_, and you are the embodiment of evil," Gabriel said, his face cold and unyielding as he watched the brunette, who's expression was unreadable. She stood in silence for a moment before her eyes began to glow crimson.

"You know, not so long ago, I would have agreed with you. But things change, Gabriel. I know I'll never convince you, but I _love _Chloe Beale with all of my heart, and I will not let you take that away. So, no more talk. Let's do this," Beca said.

"As you wish, my lady," Gabriel answered with a small bow and a confident smirk. "Though, admittedly, I do feel rather bad about this. You are without your weapon, the _Ferrum de Abysso_. It almost doesn't seem fair."

"Draw your sword, Gabriel. Even without my own, you're going to need it. You've knowingly endangered that which I hold most dear in the world, and for that, you will die."

"I never could bear that insufferable arrogance of yours."

"And I never could bear you being an annoying little bitch."

"Such vulgarity is unbecoming of someone of your stature."

"I'm a demon. Vulgarity is our trademark," Beca replied with a smirk.

"So it is," Gabriel replied as a sword appeared as if from thin air in his hand. Beca didn't move as the angel charged forward without warning, his glowing, golden saber aimed directly at her heart. He moved at an incredible speed, but Beca remained motionless until the tip of the sword was mere inches from piercing her skin. At the last possible moment, she vanished from Gabriel's sight. He scarcely had time to react before Beca's foot made contact with the back of his head, her kick sending him flying the length of the field. He flipped around as he sailed through the hair, extending his arm so that he could grab the ground to slow his movement. His efforts brought him quickly to a halt, and he let his legs fall to the ground before standing up slowly, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Beca.

"As I said, Gabriel, I don't need the _Ferrum de Abysso_ to beat you," the girl said coldly, her eyes now glowing crimson. "My fists will do." Gabriel let out a small chuckle as he stood straighter, gripping his blade tight in his hand.

"Don't be so sure, _my lady_," he responded. "You've had nineteen years to grow weak in that mortal coil, and I've only gotten stronger by a thousandfold."

"If you multiply one thousand by zero, you still get zero," Beca replied with a smirk.

"I've had enough of your childish insults," Gabriel murmured as he initiated another charge. This time, however, instead of waiting for him, Beca met the Archangel with her own charge. She dashed towards him, sidestepping as she reached him to allow his blade to pass by her chest without contact before sweeping her left leg around, aiming for the side of his head with her heel. This time, though, the Archangel was prepared for her counterattack, and he arched his back, ducking below the kick and using the opening to throw a flurry of stabs at the girl. Beca spun and flipped in whirlwind of movement as she dodged the impossibly fast strikes. Eventually, seeing an opening, she placed her hands on the ground and flipped backwards, kicking the saber from Gabriel's hand as she did. When her feet made contact with the ground, she launched herself at the blonde angel, taking full advantage of his inability to respond to her assault due both to his surprise and lack of weapon. She slammed her fists repeatedly into his stomach before finally pulling a fist back and punching him in the face with all her might, sending the angel crashing into the side of the stadium. Beca watched the concrete crumble around the point of impact stoically as the blonde angel slowly emerged from the rubble, still wearing that irritating, creepy smile he was so fond of. "It would seem your fists will not do, my lady. Not so long as you remain shackled by that human form."

"Regardless of what form I'm in, Gabriel, you will not leave this place alive," Beca replied. "But trust me, it'll involve much more pain for you if I have to change."

"Oh, but my lady, it's been ever so long since I've seen your true self," Gabriel said with a smirk as he began to walk towards the brunette. "Would you not do me the honor of fighting me as you once did, all those years ago?"

"You keep asking and I just might," Beca replied before she disappeared, moving at an immeasurable speed towards the angel. However, just as she was about to land the punch she had aimed at Gabriel's jaw, he disappeared, much in the manner Beca just had. Beca looked around for a moment before she felt his hands on her wrist as she was flung unceremoniously across the field. She grunted as her body made contact with the ground with enough force to leave a small crater.

"You seem a bit rusty, my lady. As I recall, you used to be faster," Gabriel commented wryly as Beca picked herself up out of the crater, lightly patting her body to removed the dust and dirt.

"Aww, look at that! Little Gabby's learned to _flash step_," Beca taunted. "Maybe you actually give me a bit of a challenge now."

"Such arrogance," Gabriel muttered. "It is appalling."

At that moment, Chloe began to stir. She shifted slightly as her eyes fluttered open, the white light from the stadium floodlights entering her vision. She blinked as she sat up, utterly confused as to her location. The last thing she remembered was answering the door to a rather good looking blonde man, and from then on, her mind was blank. She looked around to see that man approaching Beca in the middle of the football field. She blinked again, wondering what in the world was going on. Suddenly the two figures disappeared, and Chloe gasped as she caught glimpses of the two dashing to and fro across the field, trading blows in an increasingly deadly dance. They moved so quickly that Chloe could barely tell what they were doing, but it was clear they were fighting in a way that should not have been possible for humans. She sat in a daze, unbelieving the image before her, but was soon snapped out of it by the sight of Beca's body flying backwards through the air towards her. Her breath hitched as she saw the little brunette crash into the bleachers, her body plowing through the metal and concrete as though it were merely sand. Chloe let out a terrified cry as she sprang to her feet and ran towards the crater where Beca's motion had ended. When she reached it, she let out another gasp. Beca was climbing to her feet, her black coat covered in dirt and dust, blood dripping down the side of her head, but, compared to the carnage around her, relatively unharmed. The brunette froze when she made eye contact with the redhead.

"Beca, what the hell is going on?" Chloe asked fearfully, tears quickly forming in her eyes as she ran to the smaller girl and threw her arms around her. Beca instinctively wrapped her own arms around the ginger protectively.

"I'm so sorry, Chloe. I really hoped to be done with this by the time you woke up. I promise I'll tell you exactly what's going on as soon as I get done here."

"Beca, I-"

"Chloe, listen to me!" Beca said quickly, cutting off the ginger. "I need to do this. I'll be fine, but I need you to get out of here. Go!" Chloe took one look at the brunette's eyes, their usual navy replaced by a deep, glowing, swirling red. She was taken aback at first, but when she saw the conviction in them, she felt calm, understanding Beca's unyielding will to protect her, despite her lack of knowledge of the danger. She nodded before planting a kiss on Beca's lips. It was short and urgent, but not lacking for passion.

"I love you, Beca."

"I love you too, Chloe. Now go! And don't look back!" Beca yelled. Chloe nodded before turning on her heels and running towards the exit tunnel at the north end zone.

"How touching," Gabriel murmured sardonically, causing Beca to turn and glare at him.

"I'm done playing games with you," Beca said as she launched herself at the blonde angel.

Chloe ran faster than she could ever remember running in her life. She heard the sounds of the fight resuming behind her, but, as Beca had ordered, she kept her eyes forward. When she reached the tunnel, she stopped for a moment to catch her breath. As she stood at the entrance, she heard what sounded like footsteps coming from within. She squinted as she peered into the darkness, backing up slightly as the steps came with increased frequency. Someone was running towards her. She was about to run to find a different exit when she heard a familiar voice calling out to her.

"Chloe?" Jesse said as he appeared out of the darkness of the tunnel. "What's going on? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Jesse, but we need to go," Chloe replied frantically.

"Where's Beca?" Jesse asked, looking past her to the battle on the field. His eyes widened as he saw Beca and Gabriel disappearing and reappearing at random spots across the stadium, with Beca dodging the Angel's sword and countering with her own punches and kicks, only to have him dance out of the way. "Holy shit! What's going on? Who is she fighting? And how the hell are they doing that?"

"Jesse, I don't know, but Beca said we have to leave!" Chloe answered, tugging on Jesse's sleeve in a failing attempt to pull him away from the sight that lay before them.

"I can't just leave her, Chloe," Jesse responded resolutely as he ran out onto the field.

"Jesse!" Chloe called after him.

Beca was vaguely aware as she fought the angel that Chloe had not yet left the stadium. She frowned in concentration as she dodged another stab from Gabriel, spinning in place to aim a roundhouse kick at his head, which he promptly dodged. She could hear Chloe's voice conversing with someone. She scowled as she performed a back flip to dodge Gabriel's next strike, and when she heard more raised voices across the stadium, she turned to glance at their source. Her eyes widened as she saw Jesse running towards her. Beca was so stunned, her mind racing as she questioned how he had found her and why in the hell he hadn't taken Chloe and left, that she was unable to dodge Gabriel's kick, which connected squarely with her ribs, sending her flying in Jesse and Chloe's direction. She did everything in her power to slow her flight, but she was unable to prevent herself from crashing into the brunette boy, sending them both sprawling at Chloe's feet. Jesse groaned in pain as he tried to stand, and Beca hoped that she hadn't injured him, considering her body was much more durable than his.

"Beca, what the hell is going on?" Jesse asked as he stood, clutching his ribs as he spoke.

"There's no time to explain, Jesse," Beca said. "I need you and Chloe to leave now."

"Beca, I-" Jesse's eyes widened as he looked past Beca to see Gabriel rushing towards her, his sword extended and pointed directly at her heart. Without thinking, he dove towards the brunette, shoving her out of the way of his attack. Beca grunted as she fell to the ground, not necessarily hurt, but confused. When she looked up, however, she felt her stomach sink.

There, standing over her, was Jesse, with Gabriel's blade extending from the back of his chest.

"No!" Beca screamed as Gabriel removed the blade from Jesse's body, and she rushed forward to catch him as he fell back. Gabriel, for his part, only stood over them, looking down stoically at the pair of brunettes. "Jesse, what the hell were you thinking?" Tears were streaming down Beca's face as she held her friend in her arms, blood from his wound quickly pooling around them. He coughed violently before letting out a small chuckle.

"You know, it wouldn't kill you to just accept the help that people give you," he said with a soft smile.

"Jesse..." Beca said mournfully. Chloe choked back a sob as she covered her mouth, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

"It's okay, Becs," Jesse said.

"No, it's not!" Beca yelled as she held him tightly against her chest. "You shouldn't have to die for me! No one should have ever had to die for me!"

"Then perhaps you should have never come to this world," Gabriel muttered coldly.

"Hey, Becs?" Jesse asked, ignoring Gabriel's words.

"Yea?" Beca answered, her voice trembling.

"Be good to Chloe. You know she's the best thing that ever happened to you."

"But what about you?"

"It's fine, Beca," Jesse answered with a sigh. "I've always said, if you could be happy, that would be enough for me..."

"Jesse!" Beca sobbed. "You can't say things like that!" He chuckled again as his breath became ragged.

"Always so stubborn," he said. "Always so..." But he never finished his sentence. He smiled once again and closed his eyes as he took his final breath. Beca stared in disbelief as her closest friend's lifeless body. Something snapped inside of her, and her own breathing became slow and even. She gently lay Jesse down before she stood and faced Gabriel, her eyes now burning violently with a deep, crimson hue that bore viciously into the Archangel. He took a hesitant step back from her as she glared at him, a shiver of fear gripping his body as he realized he may have made a slight miscalculation. Gabriel quickly came to the conclusion that he had to end this as fast as possible, and he jumped backwards before initiating another charge with the intent of killing the crimson eyed demon that stood before him.

Beca stared at the charging Angel, not moving from her current position. She heard Chloe's voice crying out to her, begging her to do _something_, but it sounded as though it was coming from across a vast expanse. It didn't register. Nothing mattered now except killing Gabriel. As the Archangel neared her, his saber extended before him, she raised her hand and held it open.

"Beca!" Chloe screamed as the angel charged, but she knew the brunette couldn't hear her. The ginger stood in disbelief as Beca only raised her hand to meet the incoming attack. She closed her eyes and looked away before she heard a resounding clang of metal on metal. In the moment of impact, she felt an invisible force rush past her. Afraid of what she might see, the redhead opened her eyes slowly as she looked back towards Beca. Her eyes widened and she let out an incredulous gasp, for as unbelievable as everything she had seen up until now was, nothing matched the sight that now stood before her.

Standing between Gabriel and Chloe, was a girl slightly taller than Beca, with long, flowing silver hair blowing softly in the breeze. She stood in the same position she had last seen Beca with an impossibly long, pitch-black sword now in her hand, blocking the Archangel's blade. The girl was dressed in strange clothes, that of which Chloe had never seen before. Like the sword in her hand, they were black as night, sleeveless, somewhat resembling a cross between a cloak and a dress. Small crimson accents adorned the fabric that ran in front of and behind her legs, leaving a large slit in the sides to allow for free movement. Gabriel let out a small laugh that was somewhere between disbelief and fear.

"Chloe Beale," he said softly. "I'd like to introduce you to Lady Ceirsion."


	20. Chapter 20

_A/N: I was really conflicted about the way I decided to go about certain things in this chapter. There's so many things I keep rethinking and I'm pretty sure I'll never be truly satisfied with it, so I'm just going with what I've got now. Any and all feedback would be immensely appreciated on this one, even in a PM if you don't want to leave a review, because I'm second guessing myself so much on this one. Did I get the pacing right? Did I describe everything well? Does this seem (relatively) realistic, at least in the terms of the character's behaviors? Gah, it's driving me crazy. Anyway, regardless, I hope you enjoy this one, and I'd like to give a huge thank you to everyone who has been so kind to follow, favorite, or review the story. :)_

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**Pure**

"_The closer you get to light, the greater your shadow becomes. But don't be afraid. You hold the mightiest weapon of all."_

Chapter 20: Her DJ, Revealed

Chloe was petrified, unable to process what she was seeing. Jesse was dead. Impaled by a strange blonde man with a glowing sword, and Beca was now nowhere to be found. A silver haired girl stood between her and Jesse's killer, exactly where Beca had been not moments before. The redheaded girl dropped to her knees, her trembling legs unable to support her weight.

"Chloe Beale," the blonde man spoke softly, though there was a slight edge to his voice, a scarcely noticeable hint of fear and uncertainty lining his words. "I'd like to introduce you to Lady Ceirsion."

The silver haired girl's arm stiffened as she gripped the black, curved, and incredibly long sword more tightly, her small action causing the man to leap back, away from her and into the air. Two large, golden, eagle-like wings exploded from the man's back, and he held himself motionless in the air, save for the slow beating of his wings keeping him airborne. The girl slowly lowered the blade to her side before turning to face Chloe.

As soon as the new girl's face came in to view, Chloe was awestruck by what she saw. The girl was beautiful inhumanly beautiful, her skin flawless, and radiant with a pale light. She wore a black tunic, sleeveless and cut rather low, which fell gently over her torso, clinging to her full chest and tucked into a cloth belt that appeared to be of the same material. A long piece of cloth extended from the belt, forming a skirt that covered her front and back, leaving the girl's bare legs visible up to her thighs through the wide slits in the sides. The entire material of the strange clothes possessed a subtle transparency, leaving little to the imagination as to what was underneath despite its loose fit.

"Wh- who are you?" Chloe asked, her voice trembling and full of terror, not necessarily of the girl that stood before her, but for the whole situation. She was beginning to break down, no longer quite sure of what to believe. That is, until she looked into the silver haired girl's eyes. Chloe gasped as the same crimson eyes that she had seen on Beca when she had woken up in this place met her gaze. "Beca...?" The girl walked forward and knelt down in front of Chloe. Slowly, the girl leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on the ginger's forehead, and Chloe could tell, in that instant, without a doubt, that it truly was Beca that stood before her. She didn't know how or why, for it seemed so completely and utterly impossible; yet, when she looked into the girl's eyes and felt her lips on her skin, she just knew. Beca smiled at Chloe before she stood and turned back to face the winged blonde man floating in the air above the stadium. She began to walk out on to the field, pausing for a moment as she took in a deep breath and released it with a heavy sigh.

At that moment, a shrill, maniacal laugh cut through the air. Beca looked at Gabriel with a blank expression, unperturbed by the apparent madness the Archangel was exhibiting.

"Isn't this just perfect?!" Gabriel exclaimed, throwing his arms up gleefully. "It's been ever so long, my lady!" Beca continued to stare blankly at the Archangel. "Oh, dear, my lady, have you nothing to say? This is too exciting for silence!"

"As charming as your... enthusiasm is, I must admit, I am rather confused by it," Beca murmured. Her voice came as a strange mix of the familiar sound of the human Beca's voice and something with a deeper pitch and a smooth, silky tone. It was as though two voices had been overlain and melded together, though the separate parts were still distinguishable.

"It wouldn't be any fun to kill you in your human form, now would it, my lady?" Gabriel asked.

"I wonder if you'll still think of this as _fun_ with my sword through your heart," Beca replied.

"I guess you'll just have to find out," the angel responded with a confident smirk, his apparent nervousness and disbelief at Beca's change now long gone. The silver haired demon sighed.

"Somehow, I feel like you aren't quite grasping the gravity of this situation. You kidnapped my girlfriend. You killed my oldest and closest friend. You have started a battle you have no hope of winning. Your death will not be quick. Your death will not be honorable. You will suffer to your last breath," Beca stated in an ominously calm manner, sending a shiver running down Chloe's spine. Despite everything this man had done, the redhead could not find it in herself to wish for his death, and Beca's words chilled her to her core. The angel, for his part, only laughed in response.

"Even to this day you still underestimate me!" Gabriel shrieked. "I've become more powerful than you could imagine! There are secrets within the libraries of Heaven of which even Michael himself is ignorant! You are nothing more than-" The Archangel gasped as a searing pain ripped through his abdomen. His vision was filled with the image of Beca floating before him, the black blade of her sword running red as she held it by her side. He glanced down to see a large gash stretching across his stomach. "You-"

When he tried to speak again, he was interrupted by Beca charging through the air towards him, bringing her sword down in a diagonal arc towards his chest. Gabriel reacted as fast as he could, raising his own saber to block the blow. However, the force of Beca's attack sent them both flying backwards in the air as the pushed against the other's blade. The blonde angel grit his teeth as he concentrated all of his strength into overpowering Beca, his arms beginning to tremble from the effort. He glared at the demon girl, who looked back with a vacant expression.

"There's no use fighting this, Gabriel. You are already dead," Beca spoke softly.

"Enough!" Gabriel exclaimed as he pushed back against Beca's blade with a surge of strength. He began to swell with pride at the lack of resistance, thinking he had overpowered her, until he realized that Beca had disappeared from his sight. The angel had no time to survey his surroundings before he felt the most intense pain he had ever experienced shoot through his left shoulder. He cried out in agony, clutching the source of the pain with this sword arm, his eyes widening in shock as he began to comprehend the extent of the damage that had been done. He no longer had a left arm. It had been cleanly severed by the silver haired demon girl. Gabriel turned to find Beca behind him, still wearing the same blank, vacant expression on her face. There was no pity, no mercy in her features. Fear began to grip the Angel as he started to understand that the power he had awoken would be his undoing. "Bu- but, how? How can you be this powerful!?"

"You claim to have multiplied your power by over a thousandfold, that you've grown to an immense strength incomprehensible by me," Beca said as she floated slowly closer to him, her hair and robes flowing gently as she moved. "But the fact is, you are nothing. The difference between our power is greater than your simple mind could ever understand."

"No! There's no way!"

"I'm afraid it's the truth. Under other circumstances, I might be willing to let this go if you would simply leave me alone, but..." Beca said as she released mournful sigh. "You killed Jesse..." She paused, letting her statement sink in as an evil, menacing, and appropriately demonic smirk crept across her face. "And us demons, well, we've never been to big on the whole 'mercy' thing."

"No, wait! Please! I can explai-" Gabriel cried as Beca vanished. Gashes and lacerations began to cover his body as Beca moved around him, cutting him with such surgical precision and immense speed that Gabriel could do nothing but wail in agony. Eventually, she sliced the wings from his body, allowing him to fall ungracefully to the ground over fifty feet below. He made no more sound as he crashed into the ground. The blonde angel lay unmoving, his body so ravaged that he could not lift a finger to defend himself from the demon girl who now stood over him, ready to plunge her sword into his evil heart. "Lady Ceirsi-" Gabriel's weak, barely audible speech was halted by Beca's sword piercing his right shoulder, and he choked out an unintelligible, anguished, and pitiful sound, for he could no longer scream.

"How many times must I remind you that I am no longer Ceirsion? The fact that you managed to draw me back into her form is irrelevant," Beca said coldly as she removed the blade from the Archangel's shoulder. "Though I suppose I won't have to remind you any more." She knelt down and grabbed the angel by his hair, lifting him off of the ground and placing the blade of her sword against his jugular. Beca's crimson gaze met his golden eyes as she prepared to end his life.

"Beca, stop!" Chloe cried out. The silver haired girl looked towards the redhead to see her back on her feet, slowly walking towards the pair. "Beca, please. I don't want you to be a killer."

"Chloe..." Beca said quietly as she observed the tears still flowing freely from Chloe's pale blue eyes, the sight of which caused Beca's heart to ache.

"You should listen to her, Lady Rebecca." Beca whipped her head around to see Michael standing calmly before her. "Killing Gabriel will only bring you more suffering."

"But he killed Jesse!" Beca bellowed as she pressed her sword against Gabriel's neck, beginning to draw blood as she held him. "He's been doing everything he can to get an excuse to kill me, and now he's killed my best friend. And you want me to spare him!?" Tears began to spill down Beca's cheek as she spoke, her formerly calm and collected demeanor beginning to crumble as her emotions washed over her.

"Lady..." Michael spoke gently. "Look at him. You've not only taken one of his arms; you have taken away his wings. He is broken. He can do you no more harm. Let me take him back to Heaven, and you will never see him again."

"Why should he get to live when Jesse doesn't!?" Beca responded accusingly.

"Because if you kill him, there will be nothing I can do stop all of Heaven's forces being brought down upon you in retribution for the death of an Archangel," Michael answered.

"What?" Beca gasped. She heard quiet chuckle coming from the ravaged angel she was still holding.

"Oh, Michael, you just had to go and tell her, didn't you?" Gabriel asked with an eerily cheerful voice, despite his ragged and labored breathing. "And we were so, so close."

"You... you would go that far, just to have me killed?"

"It's nothing personal," the blonde Archangel admitted. "But the fact is, you are the last demon on Earth. With you gone, the humans will never face a supernatural threat ever again. And I knew I could neither kill you on my own, nor could I convince anyone to help me while Michael was protecting you. So this was the only way."

"But I wasn't a threat! I just wanted to be left alone! Hell, I would have _helped_ you if my seal on the Gates of Gehenna ever failed!" Beca replied angrily. Gabriel only looked at her curiously.

"How could anyone ever trust someone like _you_?'" He asked. Beca clenched her teeth as she glared at the battered angel.

"Please..." Chloe said again, and the silver haired girl turned to look at her girlfriend. "Let him go. I want my Beca back. I want my sweet, wonderful, happy girl back." Seeing the sincerity and sadness in Chloe's expression, Beca felt herself growing calm. As a demon, anger was one of the most driving emotions she possessed. But somehow, the sound of Chloe's voice seemed to pull her out of the darkness she had allowed to envelope her. She sighed as she released Gabriel from her grasp, letting him slump to the ground, unconscious. At the same time, she let her blade fall from her hand, and it seemed to evaporate into a fine, black mist before disappearing completely. Beca's silver hair began to fade to its former chocolate hue and the rest of her features began to return to their previous state, though her clothes remained the same, interestingly enough. Despite all that had happened, the ginger felt a small smile forming on her face, and she rushed over to the once again short, brunette girl and threw her arms around her neck in bone-shattering, trademark Chloe Beale hug. Michael smiled as he watched the couple, feeling a great sense of relief wash over him.

"I'm so sorry you had to see all of this, Chloe," Beca said, her voice full of remorse as she ran her fingers through Chloe's hair. "I'm sorry for everything."

"It's okay, sweetie," Chloe whispered. "I just-" She let out a quiet sob as she tried to speak. "But Jesse.. I just..."

"I know, Chloe..." Beca said as another tear made its way down her cheek. "He didn't deserve this. He shouldn't have had to die."

"Actually, my ladies," Michael interrupted. "There was something I wanted to mention about Mr. Swanson." The girls looked to the raven-haired angel in confusion, not daring to hope that he would say what they suspected he might. "Actually, Lady Rebecca, I'm rather surprised that you didn't give this any thought, at least not since you've calmed down. You see, Angels exist to _defend_ the humans. Our sole purpose is the protection of humans from supernatural threats. Our weapons..." He trailed off as he picked up Gabriel's saber and held it up for the girls to inspect. "Cannot truly kill humans." Beca and Chloe gasped, for no sooner had Michael finished his statement were they met with a blinding flash of light from above the Archangel. They turned away, closing their eyes until the light faded, and when they looked up, they were met with the most unlikely, unbelievable sight they had seen yet.

There, floating in the sky above Michael, was Jesse: very much alive and with two large, golden wings extending from his back.

"Nice outfit, weirdo," he said as a goofy grin spread across his face


	21. Chapter 21

_A/N: I am so sorry this took so long. To be perfectly honest, I had run out of steam on this story after that last chapter, and I had a great deal of trouble writing this one. Really, I wanted to take a break and maybe work on something else, but that turned out badly the last time I did that, in that I still haven't touched that story and have no idea when or if I ever will, so I'm just going to push through this one until I finish it, because I know I hate reading abandoned stories. Hopefully, the quality won't suffer too much, but I will still do my best. That being said, thank you so much to all the continued support in the form of follows, favorites, and reviews! It still blows me away that other people actually find this story interesting at all._

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**Pure**

_"The cruel Angel's thesis bleeds through a portal like your pulsing blood._  
_If you should betray the chapel of your memories,_  
_the cruel Angel will enter the window of your soul"_

Chapter 21: Her DJ, Rejoicing

Beca Mitchell was not easily shocked. Having lived for countless years watching over the vast expanses of Gehenna, she had seen many strange and grotesque things. In reality, the dimension of her origin was much different than that which most humans and even the less familiar Angels thought it to be. Most pictured lakes of lava and scorched earth, dark skies and mountainous crags, and ever present cries of torment and anguish. It was not so. In fact, the home of the demons looked not so different from that of the humans, albeit warped and twisted in an eerily whimsical nature. There were trees as tall as the mountains of Earth, plateaus floating in the green and yellow sky upon which many a demonic castle was constructed, deserts of black sand dotted with red lakes, and fields of snow that never quite seemed to be cold enough to cause discomfort. Even to its wildly differing and ever stranger inhabitants, the Demon World was, simply put, weird.

Beca Mitchell was not easily stunned. She had been attacked without warning by many a belligerent, and admittedly either ignorant or stupid, demon during her time in Gehenna. The fact was, she had enemies, and she could be attacked at any time. She couldn't afford to not react. Having refused to do her father's evil work on Earth, she was placed in charge of keeping the peace in the land. Even Hell had to have some kind of Law and Order, lest it fall victim to its own chaos. Still, there was no honor to be found in this position amongst rest of the demonic aristocracy, who saw Lady Ceirsion's position as lowly and unworthy of her royalty. In their eyes, she was little more than a princess reduced to a glorified babysitter. There was no love for her amongst the lesser demon-kind either, who saw her efforts to control them as insulting. Thus, she made enemies. Some were weak, some were powerful, but regardless, she always had to be ready to fight for her life. Her refusal to let her guard down was one of many things that kept her alive and the rest of Gehenna from tearing itself apart.

So when Beca Mitchell stood stunned in utter disbelief, her jaw agape as she stared at the sight which lay before her, it was, most assuredly, a sight worthy of her shock.

"Nice outfit, weirdo," Jesse said with a goofy grin plastered across his face, seemingly quite proud of the reaction he had evoked from the short, brunette demon princess. Beca's eyes were wide as she stared at her best friend, whom she had watched die not minutes before and was now walking toward her, clad in white, sleeveless robes, the standard attire of Angels when not concerned with hiding their presence from humans. His large, golden, eagle-like wings folded behind him as he approached her before disappearing from sight. He stopped as he reached the girl, chuckling slightly at her reaction. "Well this is new. For once, I'm the one leaving you speechless."

"Jesse..." Beca whispered.

"But... how?" Chloe questioned softly from her position next to Beca, somehow finding her voice despite being even less accustomed to strange and unbelievable events than her girlfriend. "We watched you die..."

"Yea... I can't explain that," Jesse said with a shrug as he scratched the back of his head.

"I can, if I may. As I previously stated, Angelic weaponry cannot truly harm or kill humans." Michael explained. "Well, not humans of pure heart, anyway. You see, Mr. Swanson here never truly died, despite the fact that the wound inflicted by Gabriel's saber was lethal. When it was dealt such irreparable damage, his body reacted in the only way it knew it how: it shut down. However, the blade left a seed of Angelic energy within his body, which prevented his soul from leaving it. This seed, fed by the love in his soul that he held for both you and Lady Rebecca, grew and spread throughout his body, causing him to transform. I would imagine you took no notice of this, Ms. Beale, focused as you were on Lady Rebecca's own transformation. In fact, Mr. Swanson's body was transported to Heaven to complete his change, which is what alerted me to this situation in the first place."

"So... Jesse is an angel now?" Chloe asked.

"That is correct," the raven-haired angel replied. The girls were quiet for a moment as they processed the information, still staring quite incredulously at Jesse, who was, apparently, becoming a bit nervous under their gaze.

"Nice," Chloe admitted.

When the sound of Chloe's simple recognition of the situation reached Beca's ears, she began to laugh, earning rather bewildered looks from the two angels and her girlfriend as the brunette fell to her knees. Tears were streaming down her face as the air was filled with the melodious sound of her joy and disbelief fueled hysterics. She buried her face in her palms, somewhat embarrassed by this particular lack of composure, especially considering how well Chloe appeared to be handling the situation, but she continued laughing just the same. For once in her life, she simply couldn't hold in her emotions. Sure, she had experienced plenty of emotional moments before, but none of them, save perhaps the death of her mother and the pseudo "death" of her best friend could compare to the unbridled happiness and relief that had taken hold of her. Between that feeling and Chloe's innocently simple acceptance of the situation, Beca could not help but laugh.

Jesse frowned, not entirely sure of what exactly had evoked such a reaction from the girl, while Chloe knelt down next to her and placed a comforting hand on Beca's back.

"You okay there, babe?" She asked nervously. Like Jesse, she couldn't fathom what the brunette found so amusing, as this clearly did not seem an appropriate time for laughter.

"I'm fine," Beca replied with a wide grin as she removed her hands from her now wet face. She let out another small laugh as she wiped away the tears staining her cheeks. "Never better." She then rose from her position on the ground, pulling Chloe up with her before wrapping her arms around the redhead in a tight hug, which she was only happy to return with a smile. Beca placed a quick kiss on Chloe's cheek before she walked over to Heaven's newest angel and threw her arms around him, which, needless to say, was quite a shock to him.

"And here I thought we were done with surprises for today," Jesse said with a chuckle as Beca held him.

"Oh, shut up, you weirdo," Beca said as she released him. "I watched you die and tried to kill an Archangel for you. I think at this point, you can spare me one hug. Just don't get used to it." A smirk decorated Beca's features, and Chloe smiled as she watched the reunion of the two friends, her heart soaring with happiness that Beca had not lost her closest friend.

"Hey, I wasn't planning on it," Jesse replied.

"So, Beca," Chloe said as she moved next to the brunette and snaked an arm around her's. "If all of these guys are angels..." She waved her hand to indicate Jesse and Michael as the subject of her questioning. "What does that make you?"

Beca's heart stopped. And then, it began beating faster than she thought possible. Her mind instantly flooded with every doubt and fear she ever had concerning Chloe's knowledge of her true nature, which she had never intended to reveal. Now, however, it was unavoidable, for Chloe had not only seen her inhuman strength and speed, she had seen her transformation into her former self. The shorter girl cursed Gabriel's existence while simultaneously running through any possible way to explain that she wasn't an angel without giving away what she truly was. A mutant? An alien? No, of course that would never work. Chloe was too smart, and Beca, though a practiced liar when it came to this matter, could not help but feel guilty at the thought of such a lie. She looked to Michael for support, but he only smiled knowingly at her, which did little to comfort Beca, but she got the message. She may as well just be honest.

"Chloe," she began as she turned to face the redhead, holding tight to her hands. "This is something I never wanted you to know."

"Why?" Chloe asked, a twinge of hurt evidence in her voice at the thought of Beca keeping something from her.

"Not because I wanted to lie to you, I swear," Beca responded. "Believe me, I've hated myself every day of my life for always having to lie about what I am. But most people wouldn't understand. Hell, most wouldn't believe me. But I know you would, especially since, as I'm sure you noticed, I had been letting slip that there was something different about me in the time we had spent together." Chloe nodded, and Beca took a deep breath. "You have to understand, I was afraid. I still am. I've never truly been afraid of anything in my entire existence, but I am terrified that after I tell you this, you'll leave. And you'd be right to. If you want nothing to do with me ever again after this, I wouldn't blame you. But I will always be there to protect you."

"Beca, I love you," Chloe replied earnestly. "Please don't be afraid, just tell me."

"Chloe," Beca said. She paused, looking into Chloe's eyes for any hint of doubt, but, finding none, Beca smiled and took another breath. "I am a-"

"A demon! A fucking abomination!" A voice bellowed from a few yards away from the girls and the angels. They all turned to look wide-eyed at Gabriel, who had somehow gotten to his feet, his breathing still heavy and ragged, his clothes torn and cut, and his body covered in blood. He clutched the shoulder where his left arm should have been attached in agony as he stood. "And you will die! Even if I have to _fall_ to make it happen!"

"Gabriel, no!" Michael shouted as he rushed towards the injured Archangel, but he was too slow. Before the raven-haired Angel could reach him, Gabriel held up a shining red orb with his remaining limb and smashed it into his chest, the bright light disappearing into his chest.

"Oh, shit," Beca gasped softly at the realization of what had just happened.


End file.
